Mandarin Peel Oil

#### Mandarin Oil. Unless otherwise specified, this name refers to the essential oil expressed from the peel of the true mandarin, which we will call the "European type" of mandarin in this monograph. See also **Tangerine**. The two trees are both botanically **Citrus Reticulata **varieties, originating in south China and other Fareastern areas. The mandarin arrived in Europe in 1805, and in the U.S.A. about 40 years later. In Europe, the fruit developed into the small, ellipsoidic **Mandarin **while in the U.S.A., the fruit remained quite similar to the Chinese original; however, it was re-named **Tangerine **in the United States. Mandarin Peel Oil is produced in Italy, Spain, Algeria and Cyprus, and in smaller quantities in Greece and the Middle East. The Brazilian mandarins are slightly different, and yield a different oil. The Brazilian production was 2 metric tons in 1958. This oil is rarely exported. The mandarin peels are expressed either by hand or by machine in Europe. **Mandarin Peel Oil**** **is an orange-brown to dark yellowish-brown or olive-brown, occasionally lemon yellow (certain types of handpressed oil), mobile liquid of intensely sweet, not very fresh odor, occasionally with an amine-like, "fishy" topnote and usually with a rich neroli-like, floral undertone. Upon extreme dilution e.g. in ethyl alcohol, the oil shows a beautiful bluish fluorescence which fades significantly when the solution has aged. This effect, and the peculiar "perfume-like" odor type, is explained by the presence of about one percent of methyl-N-methyl-anthranilate in the oil. This material is erroneously called dimethyl anthranilate and is a common perfumery chemical, produced synthetically on a large scale. The "fishy" or amine-like topnote in the mandarin peel oil could be due to the anthranilate which, in acid media, occasionally produces this type of odor in essential oils. Mandarin peel oil is used mainly in flavors where it gives interesting modifications with sweet and bitter orange oils, grapefruit oil, lime oil, etc. in flavor compositions for soft drinks, candy, etc. The terpeneless or sesquiterpeneless mandarin peel oil is preferred as the main flavor material in certain types of liqueur (see below). Mandarin peel oil is an excellent blender-intensifier for sweet orange oil in flavors where its rich body compensates for drawbacks in certain types of sweet orange oil. The average use level for "straight" mandarin peel oil (the effect is considerably intensified in combination-flavors with other citrus oils) is about 3.00 to 10.0 mg%, and the **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **is 0.30 to 0.60 mg%. In perfumery, mandarin peel oil is used sparingly in colognes as a modifier for other citrus oils, in neroli bases, in fantasy "moss" notes, or as particular note for "special" effects. In this respect, however, the mandarin-petitgrain oil (see monograph) is superior by far. Mandarin peel oil is also offered as a "five-fold" oil. This oil is usually produced by simple concentration in vacuum. The concentrated oil is, accordingly, very dark and its solubility in alcohol only slightly improved. Its flavor is about three (note: 3) times as strong as the flavor of the natural mandarin peel oil. **Terpeneless**** **and **Sesquiterpeneless**** ****Mandarin**** ****Peel Oil**** **is produced as described in Part One of this book (**Terpeneless Oils**). These oils are usually prepared by the consumer; they are rarely offered commercially by the raw material supply houses. The total removal of the terpenes from the mandarin oil changes its odor and flavor characteristics beyond recognition. The flavor of the terpeneless, sesquiterpeneless oil is extremely "perfume-like" and its odor type approaches that of orange flowers. **Mandarin Aroma **(see **Aromas **in Part One of this book) is prepared as described, and is used for liqueurs or soft drinks since it gives a more true-to-nature flavor than do the evaporated (concentrated) oils, and since it presents a good solution to the problem of insoluble terpenes in the natural oil. **Mandarin**** ****Peel**** ****Oil**** **is produced in steady amounts of 20 to 50 metric tons per year, but it can still be difficult to buy large quantities of the oil immediately prior to the European harvest (late fall).