Characterization of oxygen heterocyclic compounds and volatile fraction of Citrus australasica finger lime peel essential oil exploiting a multi-technique chromatographic approach

An investigation into cold-pressed finger lime essential oils (Citrus australasica) was conducted utilizing both liquid and gas chromatographic techniques. Samples were collected throughout the entire productive season, spanning from October 2022 to June 2023. This research aimed to elucidate the composition of non-volatile oxygen heterocyclic components using RP-HPLC-QqQ/MS and to analyze the volatile fraction using GC-FID. Additionally, the enantiomeric ratios of selected volatile components were determined through multidimensional GC (MDGC) with a chiral column in the second dimension. This study provides insight into the composition of Calabrian finger lime essential oils, offering valuable information for identifying quality parameters, essential for the analytical characterization of this product. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report characterizing coumarins and furocoumarins in cold-pressed finger lime essential oils. Furthermore, the investigation includes the analysis of thirteen chiral couples, eight of which for the first time in the literature.