Petitgrain Bigarade Oil

#### Petitgrain Bigarade Oil. "Le bigaradier" is the French term for the "bitter orange tree", the **Citrus Aurantium,**** ***subspecies amara. *The tree is cultivated in almost all the mild-temperate, semi-tropical and tropical zones of the world. In the south of France, in Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain and West Africa (Guinea), the true bitter orange tree is cultivated, and the leaves and twigs of the tree are distilled with steam to produce the **Petitgrain**** ****Bigarade**** ****Oil.**** **In Brazil, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the bitter-sour variety of the orange tree is also used, and the leaves are steam-distilled. In Paraguay, only the cultivated bitter-sour variety is used; this oil is described under the monograph **Petitgrain Paraguay**. In respect to quantity, France is a very small producer, but the quality of the French oil is generally considered superior to all other petitgrain bigarade oils with the possible exception of the Algerian oil which unfortunately has been unavailable or scarce during the past few years. Haiti is the largest producer of petitgrain bigarade oil, but the Haitian oil has a cruder odor than the French oil, partly because of admixture with leaves of the bitter-sour orange tree, partly because of poorer distillation technique. **Petitgrain**** ****Bigarade**** ****Oil**** **is a pale yellow or amber colored liquid of pleasant, fresh-floral, sweet odor, reminiscent of orange flowers with a slightly woody-herbaceous undertone and very faint, but sweet-floral dryout notes. The "bitter" topnote is possibly an association with the flavor of the oil which is slightly bitter. Bitter—in terms of odor—often refer to a sort of dryness, but it is accompanied by rich and sweet undertones in this oil. The terpenes in the oil are generally held responsible for the characteristic bitterness which in this connection also refers to a certain freshness. The freshness helps to subdue the overwhelming sweetness which would come up from the high content of linalyl acetate in the oil. In other words, one could remove 75% of the components of petitgrain bigarade oil (the esters, etc.), and the balance of the oil would still smell characteristic of petitgrain (compare lavandin oil, pine needle oil, clove bud oil, etc.). **Petitgrain Bigarade Oil **is used in perfumery mainly for its refreshing, sweet-floral notes in citrus colognes, fougères, etc. and very often as a replacement for neroli oil. For this purpose, the **Terpeneless**** ****Petitgrain**** ****Oil**** **(see monograph) is preferable. In flavors, petitgrain bigarade oil finds extensive use—in low concentrations—in fruit and honey flavors or aroma-concentrates where it gives naturalness, bouquet, and rounds off the sharpness of many synthetic components in the flavors. Apricot and peach, apple and pear, banana and pineapple, wine and hop ale bitters and many other flavor types may profit from this interesting natural material. **Petitgrain Bigarade Oil **is often adulterated, or, one should say: mislabelled. Redistilled petitgrain Paraguay oils are "doctored up" to simulate the typical notes of true petitgrain bigarade oil. Although it is not yet known as a fact exactly which compound or compounds are responsible for the typical "petitgrain" notes, there are several synthetic chemicals available which to a certain degree can duplicate the "missing links" in a petitgrain bigarade duplication. One of the newest chemicals is **Nerone**, which is a menthanyl ketone. It is not present in the natural oil, but it does lend a strikingly natural "petitgrain"-like note to compositions in the neroli, petitgrain, orange flower and similar groups. The annual world production of true **Petitgrain**** ****Bigarade**** ****Oil**** **is less than 10 metric tons.