Analytical characterization of mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) essential oil

An investigation was performed on 124 samples of Sicilian mandarin essential oils (Citrus deliciosa Tenore), industrially cold pressed by different extraction techniques (Brown Oil Extractor and screw press). The samples were collected during the entire productive season (from September 2008 to March 2009). The aim of the study was to determine the composition of the volatile fraction by GC/FID and GC/MS-LRI, of the non-volatile oxygen heterocyclic components by RP-HPLC/PDA and LCMS-IT-TOF, as well as the determination of the enantiomeric ratios of some volatile components by multidimensional GC (MDGC) with chiral column in the second dimension. Three new components were identified by LCMS-IT-TOF in the non-volatile fraction (demethyl-nobiletin, isosinensetin, demethyl-tangeretin). The results obtained are discussed to evaluate seasonal variation of the composition of the essential oil as well as the influence of the extraction techniques. This study gives a wide view on the composition of Sicilian mandarin (C. deliciosa Ten.) essential oils industrially produced during the entire productive season, useful to identify quality parameters for the analytical characterization of this product. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.