Scientific
classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species: Citrus bergamia
Binomial name Citrus
bergamia (Risso)
Citrus
bergamia is a fragrant fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow color similar
to a lemon.
Genetic
research into the ancestral origins of extant citrus cultivars found bergamot
orange to be a probable hybrid of Citrus limetta and Citrus aurantium. Extracts
have been used to scent food, perfumes, and cosmetics. Use on the skin can
increase photosensitivity, resulting in greater damage from sun exposure;
excessive consumption can be toxic.
The word
bergamot is etymologically derived from the Italian word
"bergamotto".
It is
related to French bergamote, from Italian bergamotto, of Turkish origin:
beg-armudi or beg armut ("prince's pear" or "prince of
pears").
Citrus
bergamia is a small tree that blossoms during the winter. The juice tastes less
sour than lemon, but more bitter than grapefruit.
The active
ingredients in bergamot juice are neoeriocitrin, naringin, neohesperidin,
ponceritin, melitidin, and brutieridin. Melitidin and brutieridin, only
recently discovered, exist only in citrus bergamot, and exhibit statin-like
properties. Synephrine is not present in citrus bergamot.
The
bergamot orange is unrelated to the herbs known as bergamot or wild bergamot,
Monarda didyma and Monarda fistulosa, which are in the mint family, and are
named for their similar aroma.
Citrus
bergamia has also been classified as Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia (i.e. a
subspecies of bitter orange).
Citrus
bergamia is sometimes confused with (but is not the same as) Citrus medica
(citron, the yellow fruit of which is also known as etrog) Citrus limetta, the
"sweet lemon" or "sweet lime"
Production
mostly is limited to the Ionian Sea coastal areas of the province of Reggio di
Calabria in Italy, to such an extent that it is a symbol of the entire city.
Most of the bergamot comes from a short stretch of land there where the
temperature is favourable. It is also cultivated in Côte d'Ivoire.
Citrus
bergamot is commercially grown in southern Calabria (province of Reggio),
southern Italy. It is also grown in southern France and in Côte d'Ivoire for
the essential oil and in Antalya in southern Turkey for its marmalade. The
fruit is not generally grown for juice consumption. However, in Mauritius where
it is grown on small-scale basis, it is largely used for juice consumption by
the locals.
One hundred
bergamot oranges yield about three ounces (85 g) of bergamot oil.
Adulteration
with cheaper products such as oil of rosewood and bergamot mint has been a
problem for consumers. To protect the reputation of their produce, the Italian
government introduced tight controls, including testing and certificates of
purity.
The
Stazione Sperimentale per le Industrie delle Essenze e dei Derivati dagli
Agrumi (Experimental Station for Essential Oil and Citrus By-Products) located
in Reggio di Calabria, was the quality control body for the essential oil
Bergamotto di Reggio Calabria DOP.
During
World War II, Italy was unable to export to countries such as the Allied
powers. Rival products from Brazil and Mexico came on to the market as a
substitute, but these were produced from other citrus fruits such as sweet
lime.
The fruit
of the bergamot orange is edible.(see Bergamot Marmalade)
An essence
extracted from the aromatic skin of this sour fruit is used to flavour Earl
Grey and Lady Grey teas, and confectionery (including Turkish delight). It is
often used to make marmalade, particularly in Italy.
In Sweden
and Norway, bergamot is a very common flavourant in snus, a smokeless tobacco
product. Likewise in dry nasal snuff, it is also a common aroma in traditional
blends. Carpentierbe, a company based in San Giorgio Morgeto, near Reggio
Calabria, makes a digestiv liqueur derived from bergamot marketed under the
name Liquore al Bergamotto.
A vial
containing a dark green-brownish oil
Bergamot
peel is used in perfumery for its ability to combine with an array of scents to
form a bouquet of aromas which complement each other.
About
one-third of all men's and about half of women’s perfumes contain bergamot
essential oil.[citation needed] Bergamot is a major component of the original
Eau de Cologne composed by Farina at the beginning of 18th century in Germany.
The first record of bergamot oil as fragrance ingredient is 1714, to be found
in the Farina Archive in Cologne.
Bergamot
essential oil is popular in aromatherapy.
In several
patch test studies, application of some sources of bergamot oil directly to the
skin of guinea pigs was shown to have a concentration-dependent phototoxic
effect of increasing redness after exposure to ultraviolet light (due to the
chemical bergapten, and possibly also citropten, bergamottin, geranial, and
neral).
This is a
property shared by many other citrus fruits. Bergapten has also been implicated
as a potassium channel blocker; in one case study, a patient who consumed four
liters of Earl Grey tea per day (which contains bergamot essential oil as a
flavouring) suffered muscle cramps.
Bergamot
contains extremely large amounts of polyphenols, as compared to other citrus
species. Two of these, brutieridin and melitidin, directly inhibit cholesterol
biosynthesis in a similar way to statins and they are not found in any other
citrus derivatives.
Bergamot is
also a source of bergamottin which, along with the chemically related compound
6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, is believed to be responsible for grapefruit–drug
interactions in which the consumption of the juice affects the metabolism of a
variety of pharmaceutical drugs.
Bergamot is
used in many skin care creams.
In the
past, psoralen extracted from bergamot oil has been used in tanning
accelerators and sunscreens. These substances were known to be
photocarcinogenic since 1959, but they were only banned from sunscreens in
1995. These photocarcinogenic substances were banned years after they had
caused many cases of malignant melanoma and deaths.
Psoralen is
now used only in the treatment of certain skin disorders, as part of PUVA
therapy.[medical citation needed]
Medicinal
properties
The juice
of the fruit has been used in Calabrian indigenous medicine to treat malaria.
Evidence is
insufficient to indicate bergamot oil is of medical benefit for a variety of
claimed uses. Use on the skin can be unsafe, particularly for children and
pregnant women. Potential side effects of drinking large amounts of bergamot
oil can include convulsions and death in children.
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