Comparison of Peel Components of Mandarin, Sour lemon and Sour orange (Citrus sp.)

The peel components of Mandarin, Sour lemon and Sour orange were analyzed. Peel flavor components were extracted using cold-press method and eluted using n-hexane. All compounds were analyzed using GC-FID and GC-MS. Twenty-seven, Twenty-four and Twenty-nine peel components were identified in Mandarin, Sour lemon and Sour orange respectively. They include aldehydes, alcohols, esters, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The major flavor components identified included limonene, β -myrcene, linalool, (E)-β-ocimene, α-Pinene, β-Pinene and sabinene. Among the three species examined, Sour orange showed the highest aldehyde content. Considering that aldehyde content of Citrus oil is an indicator of high quality, it seems that Citrus species have a profound influence on oil quality.