Abstract
The essential oils contained in the rind of the fruit and the leaves of bergamot from Greece (Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia) were studied. The bergamot trees in question were cultivated on Kefalonia Island. The plant material (leaves and fruits in different stages of maturity) was collected between December and March for a two year period. The rind of the fruit was separated manually and the essential oil was obtained either by cold pressing or by hydrodistillation. The maximum yield calculated on a wet weight of fresh rinds basis was 1.8%. The essential oils were first analyzed by GC-MS with a DB-5 column and then with a β-Dex™ enantiomeric column. The main constituent of the cold pressed essential oil of the rind was (–)-linalyl acetate with optical purity >99.9%. Other important constituents were (–)-linalool, (+)-limonene and γ-terpinene. The best value of linalool/linalyl acetate ratio was 0.38 and the maximum sum of linalool+linalyl acetate was found to be 55.8%. The larvacidal activities of the obtained essential oils and the compounds (±)-linalyl acetate, (±)-linalool and (–)-linalool were evaluated against larvae of the mosquito species Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae), the West Nile virus vector, under laboratory conditions. The cold pressed essential oil showed an LC50 value of 58 mg/L, while the LC50 value of the corresponding essential oil obtained by hydrostillation was 106 mg/L. The essential oil of the leaves presented similar larvicidal toxicity with the cold pressed oil of the rind (LC50=68 mg/L).
Highlights
Τhe essential oil contained in the rind of the bergamot fruit (Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia, syn.Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau) is a high value product with many applications in the perfume industry and cosmetology
It is noteworthy that the Ionian coasts are considered as the best region in the world for the cultivation of bergamot, in Greece the bergamot tree had never been cultivated for the production of essential oil
In the present work we studied the composition and the quality of the produced bergamot oil over a two years period and we studied its larvicidal activity against an anthropophilic mosquito biotype
Summary
Τhe essential oil contained in the rind of the bergamot fruit Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau) is a high value product with many applications in the perfume industry and cosmetology. It is used in the food, beverage and confectionary industries as a flavoring for liqueurs, teas, candies and soft drinks. It is noteworthy that the Ionian coasts are considered as the best region in the world for the cultivation of bergamot, in Greece the bergamot tree had never been cultivated for the production of essential oil. 2 cm, flavedo 20% and albedo 40% of total fruit wet weight These characteristics make the fruit different from other common varieties of bergamot and could be considered as important advantages for its use for the production of essential oil or for the preparation of spoon sweets. This mosquito spp. was responsible in 1999 for the appearance of West Nile (WN) virus in the Western Hemisphere and for a large outbreak in Southern Russia [8,9,10,11]
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