Paraguay Petitgrain Oil

#### Petitgrain "Paraguay". In respect to volume, this is the most important, by far, of all petitgrain oils. The oil is produced in Paraguay and, to a smaller extent, in Haiti. However, only in Paraguay is the oil distilled exclusively from the bitter-sour variety of **Citrus Aurantium**, *subspecies amara, *the bitter orange tree. This tree grows wild, semiwild and is cultivated on a large scale in the interior of Paraguay. Although there is ample wildgrowing material at hand, distillation is currently carried out almost exclusively with leaves and twigs from cultivated trees of the above variety. The stills are generally very primitive, and produce a steam-and-water distillation, but there is an increasing number of modern stills in the country. Experiments have shown that modern and rational distillation technique results in better yields of oils with much higher ester content. The better stills (low ratio of steam condensed within the stills) provide for a shorter distillation time, again resulting in reduced hydrolysis of the esters and, subsequently, a higher ester content in the oil produced. A high ester content is not directly synonymous with a particularly good oil since it is generally believed that the "typical petitgrain" notes are due to components other than the esters. However, a high ester content automatically reduces the content of monoterpenes, some of which are unwanted in good petitgrain oils. The annual production of petitgrain oil in Paraguay has fluctuated between 125 and 300 metric tons in the ten-year period up to 1960. **Paraguay Petitgrain Oil **(also called **Petitgrain**, S.A. = South American) is a pale yellow to dark yellow to dark yellow or olive brownish colored, rather mobile liquid of strong, bitter-sweet, woody- floral odor. The topnote is somewhat harsh, but it quickly gives way to a heavy and sweet bodynote of typical petitgrain character: bitter-floral, with a sweet and slightly woody undertone. The dryout, which comes quickly since the odor of this oil is not very tenacious, is sweet and slightly woody- floral, quite delicate. According to the age of the oil, the water content in the oil (or the container), etc., there are wide variations in the topnote of its odor. Most often, the topnote bears some resemblance to the topnote of crude bois de rose oil, almost nutmeg-like, warm-spicy, but not quite pleasant. The flavor of Paraguay petitgrain oil is bitter, but quite aromatic, bitter-orange peel-like, with a fruity, wine-like undertone. The terpeneless oil is generally preferred for flavors (see monograph **Petitgrain Oil, Terpeneless**). Petitgrain Paraguay oil is used very extensively in soap perfumery where its great power and versatile application is generally appreciated. It needs solid fixation since the oil itself does not contain natural fixatives to any significant extent. Tolu balsam, labdanum, benzoin, beta-naphthol ethyl ether, methyl betanaphthyl ketone, methyl anthranilate, methyl-N-methyl anthranilate, propenyl-methyl anthranilate, aurantiol, isobutyl cinnamate, are common and suitable fixatives, while sage clary, decanal, geraniol, palmarosa oil, citrus oils, clove oils, hydroxycitronellal, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, etc. are excellent blenders or modifiers. Paraguay petitgrain oil is mainly used in the citrus-cologne types of perfume base, but it also lends power and freshness in numerous florals, bouquet perfumes, Oriental blends, etc. Apart from "orange blossom" or neroli types, the oil may be used with jasmin, lilac, lily and similar floral bases as a modifier. Until a few years ago, the shipments of Paraguay petitgrain oil were far from uniform and often of very poor quality. Not only was the picking of leaf material irrational and careless, but many lots of oil were contaminated or adulterated even before shipping. Lots, exported to Europe were particularly of a very poor grade. Conditions have greatly improved now, and it would be obsolete to mention a minimum ester content of 35/45%. Some oils may have close to 80% esters, but in such cases the linalool content is correspondingly lower (there has been little hydrolysis). Good oils are found mainly in the upper half of the "ester content classes", but not necessarily in direct relation to the ester content. The esters can be removed by fractional distillation, leaving a product ("heads and tails" of the distillation) with a typical petitgrain odor. The extremely low price of synthetic linalyl acetate should remind the evaluating perfumer that this chemical is not the most important odor principle of Paraguay petitgrain oil (compare to similar cases with sage clary oil, lavandin oil, etc.). Crude petitgrain oils should be properly dried and filtered prior to use in perfume compositions or sale since they arrive from the producing areas in a rather poor condition and often in damaged second-hand iron drums. A water content of several percent is not unusual in a crude oil, and this water is certainly detrimental to the quality of the oil.