Alessandra Trozzi

On the Genuineness of Citrus Essential Oils. Part XLIII. The Composition of the Volatile Fraction of Italian Sweet Orange Oils (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck)

ABSTRACT The composition of the volatile fraction of Italian sweet orange oil obtained from blond and blood pulp fruits has been studied by GC and GC/MS. The study has been carried out on 190 genuine oils obtained by “Pelatrice” and “FMC in-line” industrial processing during the 1991–92 season. More than 55 components have been identified in the oil, with limonene (ca. 95%) as the main component. Because of the relatively high percentage of octanal and decanal found in the oil, the carbonyl compounds are the most important components of the oxygenated fraction. The results obtained establish that the quantitative composition of sweet orange oil shows peculiar variations in many components during the season and greatly depends on the isolation procedure and the kind of fruit processed. Oil produced by the “Pelatrice” method has a lower monoterpene content and a higher aldehyde and alcohol content than the oil produced during the same time period by “FMC” process. Also, blood oils generally show a higher mo...

Citrus Essential Oils of Uruguay. Part I. Composition of Oils of Some Varieties of Mandarin

ABSTRACT The chemical composition of the cold-pressed oils obtained from three mandarin cultivars (“Comun,” “Malvasio” and “Ellendale”) and two mandarin hybrids (“Ortanique” and “Malaquina”) grown in Uruguay were examined using a combination of alumina column chromatography and capillary GC. Forty-five constituents were characterized in the oils with the limonene content varying from 75.26–96.23%. The composition and olfactory characteristics of these oils were compared with those of Italian mandarin oil and Uruguayan sweet orange oil. It was found that the “Ortanique” and “Ellendale” oils were very different from normal mandarin oil, with great similarity in composition and olfactory characteristics to sweet orange oil. The oil of “Malaquina” is also similar more to sweet orange oil than mandarin oil although it is quite rich in aliphatic aldehydes, particularly decanal. The oil of the cv. Malvasio has a composition which is between mandarin and sweet orange oils. The oil of cv. Comun is the only one fou...

On the Genuineness of Citrus Essential Oils. Part LII. Chemical Characterization of Essential Oil of three Cultivars of Citrus clementine Hort.

The composition of Citrus clementine Hort. essential oil, laboratory-prepared from fruits of different cultivars, has been studied. The following cultivars were examined: Comune, Oroval and Monreal. The volatile fraction was analysed by HRGC and HRGC–MS (quadrupole); 69 components were identified. The composition as single components and as classes of substances for each sample and the average composition for each cultivar are reported. The enantiomeric distribution of linalol was studied by HRGC with β-cyclodextrin columns. Polymethoxylated flavones, present in the non-volatile residue, were analysed by normal phase HPLC. Six components were identified: tangeretin, 3,3′,4′,5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone, nobiletin, tetra-O-methylscutellarein, sinensetin and 3,3′,4′,5,6,7-hexamethoxyflavone. Clementine oil composition was then compared with that of Italian sweet orange and mandarin oil.

Uruguayan essential oils. Part X. Composition of the oil of Citrus clementine Hort.

The composition of the essential oil of Uruguayan Citrus clementine Hort., prepared in the laboratory from the fruit of Nules and Comune cultivars, has been studied. The volatile fraction was analysed by HRGC and HRGC–MS (quadrupole); 69 components were identified; the enantiomeric distribution of β-pinene, sabinene, limonene, linalol and α-terpineol was studied by multidimensional HRGC–HRGC. Polymethoxylated flavones present in the non-volatile residue were analysed by normal-phase HPLC. The results were compared with those of Italian clementine oil.

On the Genuineness of Citrus Essential Oils. Part XLVIII. The Composition of Volatile Fraction of Some Varieties of Sweet Orange Oils

ABSTRACT The composition of the volatile fraction of 164 Italian sweet orange oils, laboratory-prepared from fruits of different cultivars, has been studied by GC and GC/MS. The following cultivars have been examined: Biondo comune, Navelina, Washington navel, Ovale, Valencia late (blond cultivars) Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello (blood cultivars). The average composition of each of the cultivars is reported as is the standard deviation for each compound. As a result, the behavior of the classes of substances and of some of the components during the period analyzed are shown. Furthermore, the results are compared with those of previously analyzed commercial sweet orange oils.

Reduced time HPLC analyses for fast quality control of citrus essential oils

Cold-pressed citrus essential oils contain variable amounts of oxygen heterocyclic compounds highly characteristic of each species. Their distribution has been defined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis with an average time of about 45 minutes. Here are two methods proposed, applying the latest generation HPLC columns based on the fused-core technology. The first method allows the complete resolution of thirty-eight components for a rugged and validated quantitative determination of the oxygen heterocyclic compounds in cold pressed lemon, lime, bergamot grapefruit, sweet orange, bitter orange and mandarin oils, in 10 minutes of total analysis time. The second method is a compromise between chromatographic resolution and analysis time and allows a fingerprinting of each of the abovementioned oils to be obtained, useful for unveiling possible contaminations and frauds in about 3 minutes. This last method can be applied in routine analysis to save time and solvent. The components are sufficiently separated in all the citrus cold pressed oils, permitting detailed profiles of each oil to be acquired and possible contaminations and frauds to be detected.

Headspace-Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography as Analytical Methodology for the Determination of Volatiles in Wild Mushrooms and Evaluation of Modifications Occurring during Storage

Mushrooms are sources of food, medicines, and agricultural means. Not much is reported in the literature about wild species of the Mediterranean flora, although many of them are traditionally collected for human consumption. The knowledge of their chemical constituents could represent a valid tool for both taxonomic and physiological characterizations. In this work, a headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method coupled with GC-MS and GC-FID was developed to evaluate the volatile profiles of ten wild mushroom species collected in South Italy. In addition, in order to evaluate the potential of this analytical methodology for true quantitation of volatiles, samples of the cultivated species Agaricus bisporus were analyzed. The choice of this mushroom was dictated by its ease of availability in the food market, due to the consistent amounts required for SPME method development. For calibration of the main volatile compounds, the standard addition method was chosen. Finally, the assessed volatile composition of A. bisporus was monitored in order to evaluate compositional changes occurring during storage, which represents a relevant issue for such a wide consumption edible product.

Uruguayan Essential Oils. Part III. Composition of the Volatile Fraction of Lemon Essential Oil

ABSTRACT The composition of the volatile fraction of 236 samples of genuine Uruguayan lemon oils obtained by industrial processing during the 1992 and 1993 seasons was studied by GC. The samples were representative of all production areas situated in the North and South of the country. Forty-three components were identified in the oils. The quantitative data regarding all the samples were divided according to the production areas (North and South), production year and month. These data show that except for a slight decrease of limonene and an increase of some other monoterpenes such as sabinene and β-pinene, the oil compositions do not show much variation during the production season, while the oils obtained from fruits growing in the South have a higher content of oxygenated compounds than those growing in the North. This difference is in good agreement with the better olfactive properties of the South oils. The quantitative composition of the Italian oils is more similar to Uruguayan South oils than to ...

Combination of separation and spectroscopic analytical techniques: application to compositional analysis of a minor citrus species

Abstract The composition of juice and essential oil of Citrus limetta Risso was investigated. Multidimensional and enantio-gas chromatography were used for the elucidation of the volatile profile and the assessment of enantiomeric distribution. Predominant compounds were linalyl acetate (13.06 g/100 g), β-pinene (6.79 g/100 g), myrcene (1.40 g/100 g) and sabinene (1.05 g/100 g). Through a β-cyclodextrin column eight chiral pairs were separated, equally distributed between laevorotatory and dextrorotatory enantiomers. Liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole ESI-MS and PDA detection showed the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compounds (791.34 ± 36.83 and 32.97 ± 1.92 mg L−1, respectively) in the juice. Sugars (i.e. glucose 202.23 ± 26.81 and fructose 146.73 ± 3.17 mM, respectively), aminoacids (i.e. proline 29.40 ± 3.78 and GABA 8.90 ± 0.95 mM) and organic acids (i.e. citrate 4.68 ± 0.81 mM) were determined in juice by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Composition of industrial bergamot petitgrain produced in Calabria

The production of petitgrain from bergamot by the transformation industry is not a common practice. This is performed rarely due to the high cost and low demand. However, this product is among the most appreciated ones in the fragrances industry. It is thus difficult to find articles on the chemical characterization of this product particularly on samples produced by the industry and of secure authenticity. This article represents the only source of recent information on the composition of bergamot petitgrain industrially extracted since the previous studies were published several decades ago. The study is performed on two samples of secure origin, obtained by industrial distillation of selected vegetable material. The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC–FID) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and identification was performed based on similarity index and linear retention indices. The results are discussed in comparison with the few references available. In this article is also reported the enantiomeric distribution of selected volatiles determined in this type of oils for the first time by direct enantioselective GC and by multidimensional GC.