Volatile constituents of Vietnamese pummelo, orange, tangerine and lime peel oils

The compositions of Vietnamese pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck), orange (C. sinensis Osbeck), tangerine (C. reticulata Blanco var. tangerine) and lime (C. limonia Osbeck) peel oil samples have been investigated by GC and GC–MS. The essential oils were extracted by the cold-pressing method. Hydrocarbons, followed by aldehydes and alcohols, were the most abundant compounds in all four kinds of samples. Their percentages, respectively, were >98.7%, >97.6%, >98.6% and >95.4% in hydrocarbons; >0.3%, 0.4%, >0.3% and 1.1% in total aldehydes; 0.2%, 0.5%, 0.4% and 0.7% in alcohols. In Vietnamese pummelo oil, γ-terpinene was not detected, while terpinolene was detected in small amounts and nootkatone only at a level of <0.05%. Orange oil composition was comparable to that of other sweet orange oils. δ-3-Carene was detected at a level of 0.1%. Tangerine oil is easily distinguished from other citrus oils by its content of various aliphatic aldehydes. Lime oil presented a very different composition from the other oils studied. Its limonene content was substantially lower than that of pummelo, orange and tangerine oils, whereas γ-terpinene, β-pinene and α-pinene occurred in higher proportions, moreover, the sesquiterpene hydrocarbon fraction of this oil is qualitatively more complex and quantitatively more abundant than in the other oils. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.