Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradise)
Common Name | Grapefruit essentialOil |
Botanical Name | Citrus x paradisi |
Family Name | Rutaceae |
Parts Use | Fresh Peel |
Color | Pale Yellow to Greenish |
Essential oil The grapefruits essential oil glands are deeply embedded in the outer peel of the fruit known as the flavedo. The thick, spongy white layer of the peel, known as the pith, which will absorb and decrease the yield of essential oil if the two layers arent carefully separated before extraction. This separation is done by machines that roll and scrape the flavedo away from the fruit before it goes on to be juiced. The abraded flavedo forms a wet, pulpy mass that's put in a centrifuge, where the oil is separated from the solids. The solids can then be pressed for additional oil. The extracted oil is filtered and bottled. An essential oil is also optained from steam distillation of the peel and fruit pulp, as a by product of the fruit juice industry. The expressed grapefruit oil is a pale yellow or yellowish green colour with a fresh, sweet, citrus smell. The steam distillled oil has a similar colour and chemical composition to the expressed oil, although the fragrance is sweeter and is not so zesty. It is mostly the steam distilled oil that is available in the high street shops, and although it has very similar emotional effects to the expressed oil, the aromatherapists tend to prefer the cold pressed oil, it does however have a small drawback, and that is that the expressed oil is slightly phototoxic.
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