PETITGRAIN PARAGUAY ESSENTIAL OIL – Citrus, green and floral essential oil with hints of orange leaves, lavender and bitter bergamot

Petitgrain essential oil, obtained from the leaves and branches of Citrus Aurantium (Rutaceae) by distillation.
Floral-citric scent, characteristic of citrus leaves, with green undertones. Oil of Petitgrain (English), essence de petitgrain (French), Petitgrainol (German), oleum petitgrain (Latin).
Petitgrain oils are obtained from the leaves and branches of citrus trees by steam distillation.
The most valuable petitgrain oil is that obtained from the leaves of the bitter orange tree, known as petitgrain bigardia. It was used in French perfumery as early as the 18th century. It was produced in southern France.
In the 19th century, its production began in North Africa, Italy, and Spain, but demand outstripped the resources that bitter orange plantations in these countries could provide, and by the early 20th century, Paraguay had become a major producer of petitgrain oil.
In 1880, bitter orange cultivation was established in Paraguay, and it was soon crossed with local varieties of sour and semi-sweet oranges. The resulting variety, "Paraguayan petitgrain oil," was born.
The quality of petitgrain oil depends not only on the plant variety but also on the distillation technology. Since it contains up to 80% linalylacetate and linalool, distillation should not be carried out in primitive facilities with direct heat, where the leaves are immersed in boiling water, as this process causes the decomposition of linalool and its acetate. Distillation should be carried out with dry steam, and the condensate should be released immediately to avoid hydrolysis of the main component, linalylacetate.
The oil yield is about 0.2%.
Modern research on the oil shows that it is composed of approximately 400 components. Its aromatic characteristics are determined by linalyl acetate (46%), linalool (25%), geranyl and neryl acetate (7%), geraniol and nerol (3%), alpha-terpineol (6%), limonene (2-4%), and numerous other minor components, including the influence of nerolidol (0.05%) and other terpene alcohols, epoxyocimene (0.0003%), beta-damascenone (0.0002%), beta-ionone (0.0005%), and 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (0.0001%). According to some sources, the oil also contains 0.05% indole and 0.05% N-methylanthranilic acid methyl ether (dimethylanthranilate).
Paraguayan petitgrain oil is a pale yellow liquid (boiling point 67°C) with a strong, characteristic aroma reminiscent of linalyl acetate and neroli oil. The aroma is strong, sweetly bitter, and floral.
It has no phototoxic effects.
French petitgrain oil is much more frequently falsified than that from Paraguay. Between 40 and 85% of petitgrain oil consists of acetic acid esters of linalool and geraniol. Limonene is found only when the processed material includes the fruit; leaves and branches do not yield limonene-containing oil. Some oil samples contain citral; its presence in the oil indicates that lemon leaves or branches were present in the processed material. The oil is widely used in perfumery.
Petitgrain bigardia has a strong, mellow, and pleasant aroma. When combined with the more expensive neroli, it reduces the price of expensive perfumes without compromising quality. This is exploited to counterfeit neroli.
When a more subtle scent is needed, Paraguayan petitgrain oil is used as a terpene-free petitgrain. This oil is obtained by vacuum distillation. The terpene-free oil has a very rich, smooth, and harmonious aroma. It is a major component of artificial neroli oil.