Health-promoting effects of citrus essential oils

Currently, many herbal substances are used in everyday life products and in many industry such as food, cosmetics and others. Essential oils are mixtures of volatile organic compounds separated from plants or parts of them. They are characterized by an intense fragrance, but they have a diverse composition. Depending on the source, there are one or several dominant components. History acquisition of essential oils dates back to ancient times. Due to the unique fragrance qualities, the oils accompany humanity all the time. More perfect methods of analysis of the composition of essential oils used in cosmetics, food (spices) and aromatherapy, prompts us to consider the safety of their use. In addition to health-promoting substances, oils can also contain many organic compounds with an allergic or even toxic effect. Getting to know the essential oils composition and thorough acquaintance of consumers with possible risks of using essential oils is currently a priority for the producers of essential oils.

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Radical-scavenging activities of citrus essential oils and their components: Detection using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

Special Publications - Food Flavors and Chemistry ◽

10.1039/9781847550859-00592 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 592-600

Author(s):

Hyang S. Choi ◽

Masyoshi Sawamura

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Radical Scavenging ◽

Citrus Essential Oils

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Pesticide and Plasticizer Residues in Citrus Essential Oils from Different Countries

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x1000500838 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. 1934578X1000500 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giuseppa Di Bella ◽

Vincenzo Lo Turco ◽

Rossana Rando ◽

Gabriella Arena ◽

Donatella Pollicino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Control ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Organochlorine Pesticides ◽

Production Cycle ◽

Improper Use ◽

Citrus Essential Oils

Residue analyses are very important in the quality control of citrus essential oils. Organophosphorus and organochlorine pesticides, phosphorated plasticizers and chloroparaffins contamination were investigated by HRGC with FPD and ECD detectors in 120 citrus essential oils produced in Italy and in 70 from other countries in the crop year 2006-2007. Results showed that the largest pesticide quantities were found in oils from Brazil and Spain. The presence of such residues might be the result of an improper use of pesticide in citrus growing or of previous contamination of the extractors. However, the pesticide levels showed a measurable decrease in relation to past production years. The absence of phosporated plasticizers and chloroparaffins can be the result of either improvement of the procedures used during the production cycle or in the storage of the essential oils compared with previous years.

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