The peel essential oil composition of bergamot fruit (Citrus bergamia, Risso) of Reggio Calabria (Italy): a review.

Abstract

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia, Risso) grows exclusively in the province of Reggio Calabria (Southern Italy). Most part of this territory lies on by the Ionian or the Tyrrhenian sea, with over 700 kilometers of coastline, it has one of the highest values of heliophany in Italy and it is protected, from the Northern winds, by the Aspromonte mountain massif. Most part of the bergamot cultivation area is located between Scilla (West) and Monasterace (East) in a coastal strip with a width up to 12 km from the coast. Bergamot fruit is produced between November and March in relation to the geographical area. Over the last decades, environmental climate changes occurred also in this area. This phenomenon, together with new applied industrial processes may have influenced the bergamot essential oil composition. In addition, the modern analytical apparatus gives more detailed information. The aim of this review is to describe the evolution of studies on the volatile fraction of the bergamot peel essential oil over the years.