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 flavorcomponents were extracted using cold-press method and eluted using n-hexane. All compoundswere analyzed using GC-FID and GC-MS. Twenty-seven, Twenty-four and Twenty-nine peelcomponents were identified in Mandarin, Sour lemon and Sour orange respectively. They includealdehydes, alcohols, esters, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The major flavor componentsidentified included limonene, β -myrcene, linalool, (E)-β-ocimene, α-Pinene, β-Pinene andsabinene. 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 thatCitrus species have a profound influence on oil quality.