[Graphic explanation] Citrus aroma comparison – orange, lemon, lime –

[Graphic explanation] Citrus aroma comparison – orange, lemon, lime –

Hello. I’m Fig working in a flavor and fragrance industry for about 10 years.

Do you know what citrus aroma components are?

• 80-90% : Limonene
• 10-20% : Others

Others decide the citrus characteristic.

Citrus components

The main component of citrus (orange, lemon, and lime) is limonene.

Limonene is 80-90% in citrus, and the 10-20% is many components. Orange oil and lemon oil have much limonene, but these aroma are different. So the 10-20% components decide the characteristic.

Example of baseball

In case of the 9 persons baseball team, 8 fielders are limonene and 1 pitcher is a characteristic component.

• fielder  = limonene
• pitcher = remaining components

There is a right throw pitcher.

Also, there is a left throw pitcher.

Some pitchers strike out many times, others are type of groundball pitcher.

There are many types of pitcher, the team color will be various. In the same way as a baseball team, the 10-20% components decide a characteristic in citrus.

Characteristic components in citrus

Just for information, In citrus, some characteristic components are shown as the following.

Summary

Limonene is 80-90% in citrus (orange, lemon, and lime), and the 10-20% components decide the characteristic.

References
Motoichi Indou Koryo no zissai chishiki (Practical knowledge on flavor and fragrance) Toyo Keizai (1985)