Бігарадія

Citrus aurantium, also known as sour orange or bitter orange, belongs to the Rutaceae family and is generally used as a rootstock.

Origin and Botany

The bitter orange is a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the wild type mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. The fruit is orange, with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves on long petioles. It grows in subtropical regions but can tolerate a brief frost.

Chemistry

The peel of Citrus aurantium contains limonene as the major essential oil constituent. Peel oil from bitter oranges grown in Greece is almost entirely monoterpene hydrocarbons, 98.30%, mainly limonene. The main compounds of that peel oil were limonene (94.67%), myrcene (2.00%), linalool (0.76%), β-pinene (0.62%) and α-pinene (0.53%). No sesquiterpenes were detected in that peel oil. Differences in the quantities of the components may arise from genotype and from the pedoclimatic conditions of the growing areas. The IFRA Standard for the expressed oil is set because of its phototoxic effects.

Neroli and Petitgrain

Neroli oil is an essential oil produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree. Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt are the leading producers of neroli. Petitgrain is an essential oil extracted from the leaves and green twigs of the bitter orange tree. It is also known as petitgrain bigarade. Petitgrain takes its name from the fact that it used to be extracted from the unripe small green fruits of the plant. Linalyl acetate (45%) and linalool (20%) are among the components of petitgrain bigarade.

Culinary Use

The raw pulp is not usually eaten. Bitter orange is mostly used in marmalade because of its high pectin content, which gives a thick consistency to its marmalade. In Britain, marmalade is usually made from the bitter or Seville orange. Across Scandinavia, bitter orange peel is used in dried, ground form in baked goods such as Christmas bread. The oil pressed from the fresh peel is used in ice creams, puddings, sweets, soft and alcoholic drinks, and pharmaceuticals. The peel is also used as a spice in Belgian Witbier.