Essential oil components of orange peels and antimicrobial activity.
In this study, the orange peel of 12 cultivars of Citrus sinensis from central-eastern Sicily was employed to obtain essential oils and extracts. The ones were extracted through steam distillation, the others through extraction in hexane. Chemical constituents were evaluated in terms of qualitative and quantitative analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fifty-four components were identified in the steam essential oils and 44 in the extracts. In all the cultivars, the main component is d-limonene (73.9-97%); discrete percentages of linalool, geraniol and nerol were also found. Cluster analysis based on essential oils composition showed a certain degree of affinity between cultivars of the same type. The antimicrobial activity was investigated against three micro-organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). 'Sanguinello' and 'Solarino Moro' essential oils are significantly active against L. monocytogenes, while 'Valencia' hexanic extract against all the tested micro-organisms.
['Geraci|Anna|A|', 'Di Stefano|Vita|V|', 'Di Martino|Enrica|E|', 'Schillaci|Domenico|D|', 'Schicchi|Rosario|R|']
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents D001419:Bacteria D032084:Citrus sinensis D005638:Fruit D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests D009822:Oils, Volatile D010936:Plant Extracts D012802:Sicily
essential oils Sicily Citrus sinensis cultivars gas chromatography–mass spectrometry volatile compounds