Description
Lemon Oil is a food-grade citrus essential oil obtained by cold-pressing the peel of Citrus limon. The oil delivers the bright, fresh, top-note citrus character that defines lemon flavor across beverage, confectionery, and bakery applications.
Pale yellow to greenish-yellow mobile liquid with the unmistakable fresh lemon peel aroma. Miscible with ethanol and most fixed oils; insoluble in water. Limonene typically constitutes 60 to 75 percent of the oil, with citral (neral plus geranial) at 2 to 5 percent providing the characteristic lemon top note.
We supply food-grade Lemon Oil from manufacturers in China holding ISO, Halal, Kosher and other certifications relevant to the product and production. Cold-pressed, distilled, folded (5x, 10x), and terpene-reduced grades are available depending on application.
Common market grades include Cold-Pressed Standard, 5-fold and 10-fold Concentrated Lemon Oil, Terpene-Reduced Lemon Oil for water-soluble beverage applications, and Distilled Lemon Oil for low-color requirements.
Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation, citral content by GC, residual citrus pesticides, heavy metals, and microbiology.
Introduction
Citrus limon is cultivated commercially across Italy, Spain, Argentina, the United States, and South Africa, with Sicilian and Argentine origins dominating the food-grade essential oil market.
Production proceeds by cold-pressing the peel oil from fresh lemons, typically as a byproduct of juice processing. The crude oil is winterized to remove waxes and may be subsequently folded by vacuum distillation to remove terpenes and concentrate the aldehyde flavor fraction.
Regulated as Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. FDA (21 CFR 182.20), assigned FEMA GRAS number 2625, and approved by JECFA as a flavoring agent. The European Food Safety Authority lists lemon oil for flavor use.
Principal aroma compounds are limonene (60 to 75 percent), beta-pinene (8 to 15 percent), gamma-terpinene (6 to 12 percent), and citral (neral plus geranial, 2 to 5 percent). Citral content is the primary flavor quality marker despite its modest percentage, since limonene itself carries little of the characteristic lemon top note.
Strategic positioning anchors the natural citrus flavor segment, where cold-pressed lemon oil and its folded derivatives compete against synthetic citral and lemon flavor compounds on a price-performance basis. Folded grades provide cost-efficient concentration of the citral fraction for beverage applications.
Where it is used
- Soft drinks, lemonade, and citrus-flavored carbonated beverages; the dominant natural citrus flavor in this category
- Hard candies, lozenges, and gummies with lemon flavor positioning
- Bakery: lemon cakes, cookies, pastries, and frostings
- Iced tea and ready-to-drink tea blends with lemon accent
- Dairy: lemon yogurt, ice cream, sorbets, and frozen desserts
- Cocktail bitters, liqueurs, and craft spirits
- Cosmetics and personal care: shampoos, body washes, and natural-positioned toiletries
- Household and aromatherapy: citrus cleaning concentrates and uplifting essential oil blends
Technical data
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Pale yellow to greenish-yellow mobile liquid |
| Specific gravity (20 °C) | 0.849 to 0.858 |
| Refractive index (20 °C) | 1.473 to 1.476 |
| Optical rotation (20 °C) | +57° to +70° |
| Limonene content (GC) | 60.0% to 75.0% |
| Citral (neral + geranial) content | 2.0% to 5.0% |
| Solubility in 90% ethanol | 1 vol in 4 vol clear solution |
| Heavy metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 3 mg/kg |
| Source | Cold-pressing of Citrus limon peel |
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