ABSTRACT
Bitter orange oil is the essential oil obtained from the pericarp of the bitter orange, Citrus aurantium L. Citrus aurantium L., commonly named bigarade or bitter orange, 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 fruit, 25-70 milli meter in diameter. The bitter orange is used for fruit production and as a common rootstock for other Citrus species in many Mediterranean countries because of its high tolerance to low temperature, salt, humidity and various soil conditions, resistance to several viral diseases and improvement in the fruit quality of the grafted plant. The peel, flower, leaves, and fruit are used in both traditional herbal and modern medicine on account of the various bioactive compounds that they contain, such as phenolics, flavonoids, essential oils, the alkaloid p-synephrine and vitamins.
