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A volatile oil obtained by expression, without the aid of heat from the fresh peel of the fruit of Citrus bergamia Risso & Poiteau. One of the constituents of bergamot, bergaptene is a skin sensitizer and some bergamot oil is distilled to produce oils free from bergaptene and terpenes. The major use of bergamot oil is in Earl Grey–type tea flavor, where it is normally the major component.

An essential oil. Brownish-yellow to green liquid; agreeable odor; bitter taste.

Bergamot oil, Italian is obtained by pressing peels from the unripe fruits of Citrus bergamia Risso et Poit. [syn. Citrus aurantium L. ssp. bergamia (Risso et Poit.) Wight et Arn., Rutaceae]. It is a green to greenish-yellow liquid, which sometimes contains a deposit.The oil has a pleasant, fresh, sweet, fruity odor. d²⁰₂₀ 0.876–0.883; n²⁰_D 1.4650–1.4700; α²⁰_D +15 ° to +32 °; evaporation residue: 4.5–6.4%; solubility: 1 vol in ≤1 vol 85% ethanol; acid value: max. 2; ester value: 86–129; bergapten content by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography): 0.18–0.38%.
The main producer of bergamot oil is Italy, where the fruits are grown in the province of Calabria. Smaller quantities are available from Argentina and the Ivory Coast.The quality of the oil is determined by its ester content. Annual production is ± 100 t/yr.
Linalyl acetate (22–36%), linalool (3–15%), and geranial (0.25–0.5%) are important components of bergamot oil. Its terpene hydrocarbon content (25–50%) is relatively low for a citrus oil.
Use of the untreated oil in cosmetics is limited by the photosensitizing properties of bergaptene (a furocoumarin) present in the oil.Therefore, this compound is usually removed by distillation or extraction or a combination of thesemethods; furocoumarin-free bergamot oil is used inmany perfumes and is an important ingredient in eau de cologne. Bergamot oil is also used in flavoring food (“Earl Grey tea”).

The bergamot is a small, delicate tree similar to other citrus plants, such as orange and lemon. The plant flowers twice a year in the spring and the end of summer, and yields orange-like fruits, only smaller in size. The peel of the fresh, nearly ripe fruit is the source of bergamot oil; also used are the fruit, rind, leaf and twig. Although the bergamot plant is native to Asia, it is cultivated extensively in Calabria, Italy. A few experimental cultivations in the Mediterranean basin and on the Atlantic coast of equatorial Africa have attained only a limited success. Bergamot oil is a widely used material that imparts a citrus flavor to foods and beverages. Bergamot has a fragrant, sweet, fruit odor.

It is a clear, mobile, yellowish-green liquid with a fragrant, sweet fruity odor. It is miscible with alcohol and glacial acetic acid. It is soluble in most fixed oils, but is insoluble in glycerin and in propylene glycol. It may contain a suitable antioxidant. Bergamot essential oil yields a concentrated oil by distillation under reduced pressure. Also, terpeneless and sesquiterpeneless oils can be prepared from bergamot essential oil. A petitgrain bergamot is also manufactured by steam distillation of the leaves and twigs.

Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Citrus bergamia, Citrus.

By rectification of bergamot oil expressed, under vacuum, to remove completely the furocoumarins and other related non-volatile residues.

Bergamot oil is a complex mixture of more than 300 compounds. The most prevalent compounds are linalyl acetate (30 to 60%), linalool (11 to 22%) and other alcohols.* Furocoumarins include bergapten (approximately 0.4%), bergamottin, citropten and others. Rectified bergamot oil contains lower concentrations of terpenes and has no coumarins.

Rind expressed (or cold pressed) oil (yields 0.5%): Terpenic hydrocarbons (limonene 33 to 42%; γ-terpinene –10%; α-pinene 5 to 9%; β-pinene), terpinic alcohol (linolool 6 to 15%), terpenic ester (linalyl acetate 22 to 52%), furocoumarines (bergaptene 2000 to 4500 ppm; bergamottin) (CoE, 2000)

Mildly toxic by ingestion. A mildskin irritant and allergen. Combustible. When heated todecomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.