ABSTRACT
The bergamot is classied botanically as Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau, and in some publications as a subspecies of orange, Citrus aurantium L. subsp. bergamia. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree that produces green to yellow pear-shaped fruit resembling oranges in size. The cold-pressed (CP) oil was traditionally extracted manually from the fruit peel using the sponge process, which has transitioned via the manual “bowl” process to the use of the “Calabrese” extractor, and nally to the “Pelatrice Speciale” (Di Giacomo and Mangiola 1989; Dugo et al. 1998; Verzera et al. 1998). Several fruit varieties have been used over the years but now it is mainly the “Fantastico.” The cold-pressed oil nds extensive use in fragrances and it is an ingredient of many of the famous perfumes (Calkin and Jellinek 1994). It is used to a much lesser extent in avor applications.
