LEVELS OF CONCENTRATION OF SOME VOLATILE COMPOSITIONS OF A NIGERIA GROWN CITRUS SINENSIS PEEL ESSENTIAL OIL

Essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. Essential oil enters the body primarily in three ways: absorption through the skin, inhalation and ingestion. Essential oils are generally derived from one or more plant parts, such as flowers, leaves, stems, bark, wood, roots, seeds, fruits, rhizomes and gums. The essential oil is present in the fruit’s peel in great quantities. The citrus essential oil is a mixture of volatile compounds and mainly consists of monoterpene hydrocarbon. This research is aimed at investigating the chemical compositions of Nigerian grown Citrus Sinensis peel essential oil. The oranges were gotten from Sango market in Saki-West Local Government, Saki. The was carefully removed, washed and air dried in the laboratory for three weeks, grinded to sizes and then hydro distilled using Clevenger’s set-up apparatus for the essential oil. The oil was analysed using Gas Chromatography method of analysis for its chemical compositions. About twenty-three chemical compositions revealed, where D-limone was of the highest composition (67.36%) and Oleyl alcohol and Cyclooctasiloxane were of pronounced amount of 9.98 and 9.59% respectively. The result comprises of terpenes and other oxygenated hydrocarbons. D-limone pose no health risks when consumed in large amounts in food products, but it hasn't undergone enough testing to determine its safety. Therefore, it is recommended that before using orange essential oil a medical practitioner must be consulted for advise and it should be stored in places that are not accessible to children.