Neroli Oil

#### Neroli Oil. **Neroli Oil **is the essential oil water distilled from the flowers of the cultivated bitter orange tree, **Citrus Aurantium**, subspecies amara, which also is important for the production of petitgrain oil (“bigarade”-type) and bitter orange peel oil (see these monographs). The flowers from the sweet orange tree are not used for the distillation of one particular essential oil, but occasional admixture, contamination, etc. of the bitter orange flowers with sweet orange flowers is possible. Neroli oil, also called **Neroli Bigarade Oil **(néroli bigarade pétales) or **Orange Flower Oil **is produced in the south of France, Italy, Tunisia, Morocco, Haiti, Guinea, Comoro Islands, Algeria, Lebanon and, in small quantities, in China, Spain, Egypt, Cyprus, etc. France, Italy and Tunisia hold first places in quantity. France and Tunisia lead in quality. The Haitan oil is quite different. It is produced by *steam *distillation of a mixture of bitter orange flowers and the flowers from the “shaddock” grapefruit tree. The flowers suffer under poor transportation conditions prior to the distillation. The Haitian oil offers interesting notes as a modifier or as an individual perfume material, rather than as a replacement for the French or Tunisian oils. Since **Neroli Oil **is sold at about half the price of jasmin absolute, and is produced in annual quantities of several tons (provided there have been no severe frosts), the oil has substantial economical importance for the countries in which it is produced. Added to the production of orange flower extracts (see **Orange Flower Absolute **and **Concrète), **the total production of orange flower perfume materials can be valued at somewhere between 3 and 5 million U.S. dollars annually. The orange flowers must be distilled immediately after being picked in order to avoid decay and unpleasant off-notes due to decay processes. After having processed the flowers, the distillers usually carry on with distillation of leaves (petit- grain bigarade oil) since the trees are trimmed anyway. Thus, production of petitgrain bigarade oil follows shortly after that of neroli oil from the same plantation. It is of interest to note at this point that a good, terpeneless petitgrain bigarade oil is one of the most suitable adulterants for neroli oil. **Neroli Bigarade Oil **is a pale yellow, mobile oil which becomes darker and more viscous on ageing. The odor is very powerful, light and refreshing, floral with a peculiar sweet-terpeney topnote, but its tenacity is rather poor. This oil is primarily a “top-note” material in perfumery. The keeping qualities of neroli oil are very poor, and its odor loses its freshness after a few months if the oil is not kept cool, dark and well sealed. **Neroli Oil **is one of the “classic” materials in eaux de cologne of the “Maria Farina” type, “4711”, etc. It blends excellently with all the citrus oils, with numerous floral absolutes and countless synthetic materials. Next to rose, jasmin and ylang-ylang, it is probably one of the most frequently used “florals” in perfume compounding. Most perfumers have a number of “neroli bases” on their shelf to be used when a cost problem or availability problem prevents the perfumer from using the natural neroli oil. Artificial neroli oils may be composed of terpeneless petitgrain oil, bitter orange oil, indole, linalylacetate, linalool, methyl-beta-naphthyl ketone, decanal, nonanal, decanol, nonanol, nerol, nerolidol, isojasmone, hydroxycitronellal-methyl-anthranilate (Schiff’s base), phenylethyl alcohol, menthanyl ketone, nopyl acetate, lime oil expressed or terpeneless, tolu balsam, beta naphthyl ethyl ether, skatole, terpeneless lavandin oil, decyl propionate, propenyl-N-methylanthranilate, geraniol, various aliphatic aldehydes, aldehydic bases, specialties, etc. When **Neroli**** ****Oil**** **is dissolved in alcohol, the solution shows a beautiful blue fluorescence which fades away on ageing of the solution in daylight. Old neroli oils do not always show this fluorescence in solution. Incidentally, this phenomenon is not at all appreciated by the perfumers in general, and great efforts are made to avoid this visible sign of the presence of anthranilates. It is conceivable that the anthranilates in the neroli oil slowly add their molecules to the aldehydes in the oil, thereby producing a more intense yellow (darker) color, while the fluorescence disappears. Neroli oil is not quite insoluble in water, and, during the distillation of the flowers, significant amounts of oil remain dissolved in the condensed distillation water. This solution is known as “**Orange Flower Water**”, and was once a very popular cosmetic ingredient, household flavor for baked goods, etc. This water does not keep well; it loses its fresh floral aroma and bouquet, and it is subject to fungus growth. Today, there is insufficient demand for this water, and the producers instead extract the water with a hydrocarbon solvent. This leads to the so-called “**Orange**** ****Flower**** ****Water**** ****Absolute**” (see monograph). Every three tons of distillation water yield about one kilo of orange flower water absolute; this is another interesting perfume material, entirely different from neroli oil in composition and odor type. Other “water absolutes” are produced from distillation of leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree (see monograph: Orange Flower and Petit- grain Water Absolute). **Neroli**** ****Oil**** **has only limited use in flavors, but it can produce interesting effects as a modifier in fruit flavors for candy (e.g. with bergamot oil), in flavors for liqueurs, soft drinks, etc. The average use level is strongly dependent upon the type of other flavor materials present. In general, the most useful concentration of neroli oil in flavors should be slightly in excess of the **Minimum Perceptible **which is about 0.03 to 0.06 mg%. Maximum use level is estimated at 0.50 mg%. The production of **Neroli Oil **is heavily influenced by the weather conditions, and there are years of very small crops where the oil is scarce or unavailable. The quality of the oil varies from one area of production to another. These circumstances, together with the comparatively high price level of neroli oil, have to a certain degree encouraged adulteration of the oil.