Citrus Essential Oils: Extraction and Deterpenation

The essential oils of citrus fruits are valuable raw materials in the scent and flavouring industries. As extracted, they are complex mixtures with large proportions of terpene hydrocarbons that make them easily oxidizable and insoluble in aqueous and alcoholic solutions. This mini-review surveys the main processes by which these essential oils are currently extracted and deterpenated, and also the current state of research into their deterpenation by means of ionic liquids. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________