The effect of different hydrodistillation times on the composition and yield of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) peel essential oil and a comparison of the cold-pressing method

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) is not consumed as fresh fruit as other membersof Citrus. Bergamot essential oil has a unique aroma. Bergamot essential oil is a veryvaluable product used in perfumery, cosmetics, aromatherapy and food industry dueto its beautiful scent and functional properties. As with other Citrus species, the com-position of bergamot essential oil can vary according to harvest time, climate andextraction technology. Bergamot essential oil could be obtained by cold press extrac-tion or distillation method. Within the scope of the study, the effect of four differenthydrodistillation (HD) times (5, 10, 60 and 120 min) on the composition of bergamotessential oil obtained from Turkish fruits was investigated. In the first 60 min, 96.11%of the total essential oil was obtained. Research findings have shown that the distil-lation time is quite effective in the composition of bergamot essential oil. Limonene,linalool and linalyl acetate, which are the main components of bergamot essentialoil, varied in the range, 42.36%–53.25%, 5.59%–12.18% and 20.84%–26.73%, respec-tively, with respect to distillation time. In cold press method, bergamot essential oilhas lower linalool/linalyl acetate ratio (0.15) compared to HD method and a higherquality essence was obtained