In Calabria, Italy, where bergamot has been successfully cultivated since the eighteenth century, it is commonly defined as "the prince of the Citrus genus." Written by an international panel of experts from multiple disciplines, Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and its Derivatives represents the most complete treatise on bergamot and its derivatives currently available.

Although production of bergamot and its derivatives is comparatively small, its chemical composition and biological properties have been of great scientific interest and the oil is considered essential in many high-quality perfumes. There is also an increased demand for bergamot oil for food flavorings and gastronomy. A tribute to bergamot, Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and its Derivatives covers all aspects of bergamot, from its historical and botanical origins, cultural practices, and transformation technologies to the use of its derivatives, possible contaminations, and biological activity.
The book examines the chemical composition of bergamot in peel oils, leaf oils, juice, and fruits, extracted by various techniques mechanical, distillation, and by supercritical fluids. It covers newly identified classes of compounds, limonoids and statins, describing the identification and assay of natural statins and the pharmacological activities of limonoids. It also discusses bergapten properties and its uses in cosmetics and medicine, as well as the use of bergamot in perfumery and in foods and beverages. The book concludes with a chapter reviewing the available data and global legislative status of bergamot as they relate to the safe use and trade of bergamot products.

World production of citrus fruits is still growing. At present, about 30 percent of that yield is devoted to industrial production, mostly on those essential oils and juices used in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Covering research reported in the literature over the past ten years, this book presents the most current research available on the analysis, composition, and biological activity of citrus products, as well as concerns with adulteration and contaminants. The research group currently coordinated by the editors at the University of Messina has been investigating citrus essential oils since the 80s and is known worldwide for its development of chromatographic investigation methods.

The world production of citrus fruit has risen enormously in the last few decades, leaping from forty-five million tons a year in the early 1970's to eighty-five million in the season of 1996-1997. More than thirty per cent of these fruits go into industrial production in which essential oils and juice are the principal products. The main applications of essential oils are as flavourings for alcohol, soft drinks, food, pharmaceutical products and as fragrances for cosmetics and beauty products. Today, the potential applications of these essential oils are growing wider because they are environmentally 'safer' than the petrochemical products they can sometimes replace.
This book offers comprehensive coverage on all aspects of the botany, cultivation, processing industry, chemistry and uses of Citrus and its oils. Anyone involved in food sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, cosmetics, pharmacy and plant sciences will no doubt find this volume to be of great value and interest.

eBook available with sample pages: 020321661X

In Calabria, Italy, where bergamot has been successfully cultivated since the eighteenth century, it is commonly defined as "the prince of the Citrus genus." Written by an international panel of experts from multiple disciplines, Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and its Derivatives represents the most complete treatise on bergamot and its derivatives currently available. Although production of bergamot and its derivatives is comparatively small, its chemical composition and biological properties have been of great scientific interest and the oil is considered essential in many high-quality perfumes. There is also an increased demand for bergamot oil for food flavorings and gastronomy. A tribute to bergamot, Citrus bergamia: Bergamot and its Derivatives covers all aspects of bergamot, from its historical and botanical origins, cultural practices, and transformation technologies to the use of its derivatives, possible contaminations, and biological activity. The book examines the chemical composition of bergamot in peel oils, leaf oils, juice, and fruits, extracted by various techniques-mechanical, distillation, and by supercritical fluids. It covers newly identified classes of compounds, limonoids and statins, describing the identification and assay of natural statins and the pharmacological activities of limonoids. It also discusses bergapten properties and its uses in cosmetics and medicine, as well as the use of bergamot in perfumery and in foods and beverages. The book concludes with a chapter reviewing the available data and global legislative status of bergamot as they relate to the safe use and trade of bergamot products.