PROCESS FOR DECOLORIZATION AND REMOVAL OF CONTAMINANTS IN CITRUS ESSENTIAL OILS

Abstract

A process for obtaining color-reduced and low-pesticide citrus essential oils, comprising the following steps: a) adding crude citrus essential oil to a feed tank at a temperature range of 25°C-45°C; b) subsequently transporting said citrus essential oil from the feed tank to an ultrafiltration module; and c) subjecting said citrus essential oil to ultrafiltration, wherein said ultrafiltration module contains membranes with a cutoff power in the range of 3 kDa-100 kDa and within a transmembrane pressure range of 0.1 MPa to 1 MPa (1 to 10 bar); d) the clarified oil is contacted with non-ionic adsorbent resins and e) passing the oil through a column packed with activated carbon to obtain the color-reduced essential oil.