Citrus fruits, like oranges, have been cultivated for the last 4,000 years in southern China and Southeast Asia. One variety, the citron, was carried to the Middle East some-time between 400 and 600 B.C. Arab traders transported oranges to eastern Africa and the Middle East sometime between 100 and 700 A.D., and during the Arab occupation of Spain, citrus fruits first arrived in southern Europe. From there, they were carried to the New World by explorers where they spread to Florida and Brazil by the sixteenth century. By the 1800s, citrus fruits achieved worldwide distribution. In the 1890s, the demand for them greatly increased due to the abundant content of vitamin C in the fruit. Aside from vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which is, without doubt, the most abundant vitamin in citrus fruit (a glass of orange juice provides 60% of the recommended intake. the other vitamins are: folacine, vitamin B6, Thiamine, riboflavin, Biotin, Panothenic acid and vitamin A type composites.

The citrus family includes dozens of varieties, many of which are used in food; those, which are not edible, are used in the cosmetic industry for their essential oils.

Here’s a list of the most important varieties of citrus fruit, their use and their properties

Orange tree

This evergreen, which originates in China and Japan, was introduced to Italy by the Arabs in the 14th century. The orange contains citric acid, sugar, vitamins and mineral salts for the production of marmalades, juices, essential oils and perfumes. There is a red variety, the blood orange that unfortunately is becoming more difficult to find because of the increased availability of the seedless variety. The top perfume houses use the expensive orange blossom essential oil.

Bitter orange tree

The fruit of this variety is inedible in its uncooked state and mainly used for the production of marmalades, whilst its leaves and flowers are used for essential oil extraction.

Bergamot tree

The fruit of this variety is inedible in its uncooked state and mainly used for the production of marmalades, whilst its leaves and flowers are used for essential oil extraction.

Citron tree (citrus medica)

Originating from Persia and called a 揷edro?in Italian, this tree should not be confused with its gymnosperm homonym known as the Lebanon cedar or the Atlas cedar ( cedrus atlanticus.) The fruit of this tree can weigh up to 1kg. It is used in the production of preserves and for the extraction of oil used in perfumes, medicine and in the liqueur industry. The fruit is used by practising Jews in rituals during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Chinotto (myrtle-leaved orange tree)

Cultivated in areas around the Mediterranean, it looks like a little orange with a slightly bitter taste, and it weighs between 40 ?50 grams. It is used in the production of sweets and drinks (often caramel-coloured)

Lemon tree

This evergreen is characterized by its oval leaves and yellow fruit. The lemon is the main citrus fruit for edible or industrial purposes. The fruit juice, rich in citric acid and vitamin C, is used as an astringent, antiscorbutic and thirst quencher. The lemon is also widely used in the liqueur industry and in perfume production. Not forgetting the detergent industry, which uses lemon-derived products. In antiquity, lemon juice was used as an anti hemorrhagic remedy and disinfectant whist sailors used it to fight against scurvy (insufficient intake of vitamin C) during long sea crossings.

Lime tree

Due to its sensitivity to cold, the lime is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas. The fruit, which is small and very acid, is mainly used in juice or in cocktails. Lime is also used in perfumes and detergents. Always green, and flowering all year round, provided it lives in suitable conditions, it is often used as an ornamental plant.

Fortunella or Kumquat

This fruit is relatively uncommon; small with a sweetish peel is edible, contrary to other citrus fruit. Its unusually sweet peel makes it particularly interesting in the production of preserves.

Pomelo

This is only grown in Thailand and has no commercial or industrial use. It’s used locally in food preparation and the production of preserves.

Mandarin tree

This green shrub originates in China. The fruit resembles the orange but on a smaller scale. It抯 fruit juice, rich in vitamin C, is used in the liqueur industry. Its use is currently on the decrease due to the Clementine, which is lower in calories and more popular with the consumer.

Clementine tree

This natural hybrid, which comes from Tunisia, has a fruit, which, like all citrus fruit is rich in vitamin C.

Grapefruit tree

The fruit of this tree resembles the yellow-coloured lemon; it originates in India and is rich in vitamin C and fibres. In the 1990’s in the U.S.A. a pink grapefruit, hybrid of the orange, rich in vitamins C and A, made its appearance. It’s considered important from an industrial and commercial point of view because it is consumed fresh and used fin the preparation of juice and drinks. The pink varieties are used almost exclusively for eating fresh as the fruit抯 carotenoids make it difficult for juice preparation.