A comparison of the constituents of essential oils of Citrus limon peel and <i>C. aurantifolia</i> fruit

Abstract

Essential oils of lime (Citrus aurantifolia) whole fruits and lemon (Citrus limon) peel from Nigeria have been analysed by combined GC and GC-MS. Both oils were of similar composition, but with differences in yields of components. The oils are composed largely of monoterpene hydrocarbons (C. aurantifolia 71.6 %; C. limon 81.2 %) and oxygenated monoterpenes (C. aurantifolia 23.4 %; C. limon 16.7 %). Limonene was the major component in lemon peel oil (65.4 %), while limonene (43.1 %) and ß-pinene (14.2 %) were characteristic of lime oil. Other monoterpenes such as γ-terpinene, α-terpineol, neral and geranial also occurred in moderate amounts in both oils. The sesquiterpenes amounted to 3.5 % in C. aurantifolia and 1.3 % in C. limon.Keywords: Citrus limon; Citrus aurantifolia; Fruit peel; Rutaceae; Essential oil; Limonene; ß-Pinene