ABSTRACT
Citrus aurantium L. is an evergreen shrub or tree, 2-3 to 7-8 meters tall, with short and sharp spines, which produces ovoid or rounded greenish-yellow fruits with bitter acidic pulp. It probably has a multiple hybrid origin in China and elsewhere, and is widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. The fruits serve the production of marmalade and soft drinks; in Mexico, they are consumed fresh with salt and chili. The oils and extracts obtained from the bitter orange tree are also used in the food and alcoholic beverage industries. Bitter orange is employed in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant, on account of its active ingredient, synephrine. Neroli oil is a clear mobile liquid with pale yellow to light amber color, sometimes with slight blue influences and which has a flowery, sometimes harsh but fresh odor, reminding of natural orange blossoms.
