Characterization of green mandarin peel essential oil extracted by laboratory and industrial methods

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the yield and chemical composition of the essential oil of immature fruits of C. deliciosa varieties cultivated in Rio Grande do Sul using laboratory (hydrodistillation) and industrial (scarification) methods. During the period of industrial processing (scarification), fruits from the same batches were sampled for laboratory hydrodistillation. Essential oil yield and chemical composition were evaluated by GC/MS and GC-FID The average yield obtained was 0.07 wt.% (hydrodistillation) and 0.53 wt.% (scarification). EO yield followed a quadratic model regarding sample collection time in both methods, indicating an optimum time for fruit collection regarding EO yields. According to EO characterization, 24 different compounds were identified in hydrodistillation and 19 in scarification. The major compounds detected were limonene (66.5 – 71.3 wt.%) and γ-terpinene (12.1 – 18.4 wt.%), regardless of the extraction method. A greater number of compounds with content above 1.0 wt.% was found in the oil obtained by hydrodistillation. The scarification method provided greater extraction yield and a smaller number of compounds relative to the essential oil of mandarins extracted by hydrodistillation.