Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oil Obtained from Bitter Orange Peel (Citrus aurantium L.) Using Two Methods

In this study, it was shown that the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from bitter orange peel (Aurantii amari flavedo, Citrus aurantium L., from Croatia) depends on the method of isolation. The peel essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and cold press method, and their chemical compositions were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty two components were characterized by mass spectra and linear retention indices. Limonene was found as dominant compound in both hydrodistillation and cold press essential oil with 91.1 % and 51.3 %, respectively. When comparing the chemical composition of two oils, a significant difference in percentage composition of three major compounds, limonene, linalool and hexadecanoic acid was observed. The antioxidant activity of the oils was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging method (DPPH). Both oils showed very poor antioxidant activity.