Kaffir lime EO

Latin name :

Citrus hystrix

Botanical profile :

The Kaffir lime is the fruit of the Kaffir tree, belonging to the Rutaceae family and the Citrus genus.

Geographic origin :

Kaffir Lime is mainly cultivated in Thailand, India, Indonesia and in Malaisia

Chemotypes :

The genus Citrus includes the vast majority of citrus fruits and includes a large number of varieties available in perfumery:
Bergamot - (Citrus bergamia) is a hybrid of lemon and bitter orange, grown for the essential oil of its fruit and petitgrain.
Bitter orange or bigarade orange - (Citrus aurantium), grown in Spain and Florida.
Citron - (Citrus medica), grown in Italy (Sicily).
Lemon - (Citrus limon), cultured in Italy for the essential oil of its fruit and of its leafy twigs (Petitgrain).
Combava - (Citrus hystrix), grown in Thailand and India.
Lime - (Citrus aurantifolia), grown for its fruit in Mexico for the most part.
Mandarin - (Citrus reticulata), grown mainly in Italy for its fruit and for its petitgrain, by extracting the leaves from the tree. Its hybrid with sweet orange gave birth to clementine.
Orange - (Citrus sinensis) is famous for the cultivation of its fruits, whose juice and essential oil are extracted in Brazil and California in particular, which is the most used of all perfumes.
Grapefruit - (Citrus paradisii) of Malay origin, is cultivated for its essential oil in Brazil and Israel in particular.
Yuzu - (Citrus junos), produced in Japan and Korea.

Extraction process :

Combava oil is one among a few of the Citrus family to be obtained from the leaves of the plant and not from the fruit. In order to obtain it, it is necessary to make a hydrodistillation of the leaves. It usually takes at least four months between plantation and first harvest, then it is possible every six months. Leaves are generally of better quality during the rainy season.
It is important to note that Combava leaves are mainly intended to be sold in traditional markets to be used as spices or for its medicinal properties. Only a small part of the global production is destined to be transformed into essential oil. When it is the case, leaves are steam distilled for about 6-7 hours, with a yield of about 0.5-0.6%.

Major Components :

Citronnellal (45 - 85 %)
Citronellyl Acetate (5 - 20%)
Citronnellol (≈ 2 - 5 %)
Linalool (3 - 5 %),
Isopulegol (≈ 3 %)
D-Limonene (Trace)