Analysis of Citrus essential oils: state of the art and future perspectives. A review.

The present paper provides descriptions and critical views of the most significant chromatography-based methods, employed in the field of Citrus essential oils, mainly over the past decade. Both single-column and multidimensional chromatography approaches are reported, with advantages and shortcomings of each method reported. The contribution reports compositions only marginally. For detailed information on the latter issue, the reader is directed to two books, namely Citrus and Citrus oils, referenced in the paper. A great deal of space is devoted to the use of the mass spectrometer, in relation to its potential for separation and identification. The employment of the most powerful chromatography techniques available today, namely comprehensive two-dimensional ones, is also described. Finally, possible future scenarios in the field of Citrus essential oil analysis are anticipated. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.