Essential oils of Citrus Industry - Mandarin (C. deliciosa Ten.)

Mandarin essential oil (Citrus deliciosa) is used for a wide range of application, as perfume, cosmetic, food and beverages industry. The essential oil of mandarin is currently extracted by using the Pelatrice and the Food Machinery Corporation Inline Extractor (FMC). According to ISO 3528 of 1977 this oil is presented as a mobile liquid with a color that can vary from greenish yellow to reddish orange, depending on the degree of ripeness of the fruit from which it is extracted, with a slight blue fluorescence. As regards its chemical composition, the volatile fraction represents about 96-98% while the remaining 2-4% is the non-volatile fraction. Citrus essential oils are very valuable and expensive, for this reason, adulteration activities by addition of less valuable products are very common. These adulterations affect not only the organoleptic qualities, but also the health properties. In this contest, the evaluation of authenticity and quality through the determination of the volatile and non-volatile fraction is of fundamental interest.