Volatile Compounds in Citrus Essential Oils: A Comprehensive Review

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Chemotaxonomy

Background:

• Citrus essential oils from rind are industrially significant.
• Previous research has extensively studied Citrus volatile composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review the volatile composition of essential oil fractions and rind extracts from 10 key Citrus species.
• To identify potential species-specific biomarkers within the volatile profiles.
• To compare volatile composition with genetic data and explore extraction/analysis techniques.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of volatile composition in 10 Citrus species.
• Hierarchical cluster analysis of volatile data.
• Comparison of rind, leaf, and blossom volatile profiles.
• Description of extraction and analysis techniques for volatile compounds.

Main Results:

• Identified 49 common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) across 10 Citrus species, predominantly terpenoids (90%).
• Discovered over 400 unique VOCs, potentially serving as species biomarkers.
• Hierarchical clustering grouped species based on volatile profiles, largely mirroring genetic clusters.
• Distinct volatile profiles were observed for different species groups, including Citrus limon.

Conclusions:

• Volatile composition of Citrus rinds provides a basis for chemotaxonomic classification.
• Unique volatile compounds can serve as biomarkers for specific Citrus species.
• The study systematically describes Citrus rind volatile chemistry and analytical methodologies.