It is subtropical in origin and well known for its bitter taste (initially cultivated in Jamaica around 18th century and now grown in all parts of the world). It has yellow-orange skin and varies in diameter from 10-15 cm.
The flesh of grapefruit is segmented and acidic, varying in color depending on the cultivars including white, pink and red pulp of different sweetness.
The major classical use of essential oils from grapefruit peels is as natural flavouring materials, which have great commercial importance. Worldwide demand for essential oils, particularly grapefruit oils, is increasing. Peels produce more essential oil than leaves.
The oil extracts obtained had a characteristic light yellow colour. The percentage yield and specific gravity was 0.79% and 0.883 respectively. The oil was soluble in ethanol, methanol and tween 80 solution.
In this oil, 19 components were identified, this amount to 95.26% of the total volatile oil composition and represent six different groups of hydrocarbon namely; monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, aliphatic aldehydes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, sesquiterpenes and acid esters.
The monoterpene hydrocarbons constituted the most dominant chemical group (86.02%) and among which limonene is most predominant followed by β-myrcene, α-pinene, βphellandrene, 3-carene and nonane.
The essential oils are present in oil sacs or oil glands located at different depths in the peels and cuticles of grapefruit. These essential oils can be obtained mainly by expression or extraction. However, in the commercial production of essential oils from grapefruit plants, cold-pressing methods and hydrodistillation of the peel are the most commonly used techniques.
Grapefruit peel oil
