NATURALSTOGETHER(r)
High concentrated lemon peel oil, rich in citral and citral esters. Very useful in water soluble flavors
Lemons are produced all around the world, and the essential oil production reaches between 7000 and 8000 MT per year. Main producers of essential oils are Argentina, Spain, USA, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey.
Italy
In Italy, apx. 90% of the lemon plantations are around Sicily and Calabria. Past and present volcanic eruptions make the soil rich and fertile, giving these lemons their distinct and unique taste. The mildly warm days and cool nights is ideal for growing lemon trees which produce fruit all year round.
There are several blooming per year, each with different characteristics. The main blooming happens during the spring and give the lemons during winter, between November and April. These lemons are called Primofiore (60-70% annual production), as they come from the first blooming of the year. Then arrive the Bianchetto between April and June (20%), and then the Verdello between June and September (10%).
The plantations are small and private, referred to as “gardens”, from the Italian family tradition. In order to resist diseases, lemon trees are grafted on bigarade orange vines.
The manual harvest is done by groups when the fruit is ripe. They harvest up to 30.000 kg per hectare during the Primofiore harvest (5000 kg per hectare for Verdelli for example). The fruits are loaded into trucks, and delivered in bulk to the essential oil producers.
Argentina
Lemons from Argentina are grown in large plantations in the Tucuman region, at the foothills of the Andes. Argentina is by far the most important region for fresh fruit production with a market share of 50%. In Argentina, fruit processing has been stimulated by soft drinks companies, making it the leader in this sector.