FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, VOL. 6, 105-106 (1991)

I L BERGAMOTTO DI REGGIO CALABRIA, Angelo Di Giacomo and Carlo Mangiola, Laruffa Editore, Reggio Calabria, Italy, 1989. No. of pages: 144.

This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in essential oils. Apart from the title it is trilingual; the main Italian text is in the centre of the page with French and English translations to the left and right respectively. It is profusely illustrated-few pages lack a photograph with its trilingual caption. The book recounts the story of the novel citrus fruit bergamot which, despite many attempts, is only cultivated successfully in the region of Reggio Calabria, Italy. The first section of the book is devoted to the history of bergamot cultivation in the area. The origin of the fruit, which takes its name from the town of Berga near Barcelona, is uncertain but it has long been linked with the production of perfumes and toilet water. In particular it is the major constituent of eau de Cologne, which was formulated in 1704 by an Italian pedlar who had migrated to the city. At first the oil was expressed manually from the peel and absorbed in a sponge but since 1840 machines have been used to score or abrade the surface of the peel. The second section of the book (74 pages) is a collection of pictures illustrating bergamot oil production from the early days of photography to the present time. The next section (31 pages) deals with the botany and agronomy of the crop

Reviews (1 5 000 tonnes in 1988), the isolation of the oil (78 tonnes in 1988), its physical and chemical properties (see also this Journal pages 41-58). The level of oxygenated com- pounds, in particular esters such as linalyl acetate, in bergamot oils is much higher than in other citrus oils but in oils isolated from small or damaged fruit by steam distillation few esters survive. Before export the quality of each batch of bergamot oil has to be verified and the container sealed by the Regional Experimental Labora- tory. As mentioned above the main use of the oil is in the formulation of eau de Cologne, perfumes and suntan products. Attempts are being made to utilize the by- products of bergamot cultivation. The possibility of marketing the juice and producing pectin and cattle food are discussed but the production of ethanol and citric acid is not economically viable. One constituent of oil of bergamot, bergaptene (5-methoxypsoralen) can produce a phototoxic reaction on the skin. Because of this, it has been proposed that the use of the oil should be restricted. However, as the final section of the book demonstrates, the amount present does not constitute a hazard at a normal level of perfume usage. This book can be recom- mended to anyone who reads the Flavour and Fragrance Journal.

ROGER STEVENS Threlkeld

FOOD FLAVOURS. PART c: THE FLAVOUR OF FRUITS, edited by I. D. Morton and A. J. MacLeod, Elsevier Science Publishers, 1990. No. of pages: 372, price Dfl. 275.00, US$ 141.00. ISBN 0-444-87362-7.

This is the third volume of a series devoted to Food Flavours. In eight chapters, this volume reviews the work carried out on fruit flavours: I. Apples, pears, quinces (Paillard); 11. Stoned fruits: apricot, plum, peach, cherry (Crouzet et d ) ; 111. Factors effecting the flavours of citrus fruits (Nagy and Shaw); IV. Berries (Honkanen and Hirvi); V. Tropical fruits: banana, melon, pineapple (Engel er a!.); VI. Minor tropical fruits: mango, papaya, passion fruit, guava (Shibamoto and Tang); VII. Exotic fruits (Young and Patterson); and VIII. Tomato, cu- cumber, gherkin (Goodenough). The outline of the vari- ous chapters differs according to the particular research interest of the authors. In Chapters I, 11, IV, VI, and VII a more or less ‘classical’ inventory has been made (is this really necessary or significant in view of the already published lists of volatiles in food?), but in Chapters I11 and VIII, in particular, technological and biological

aspects have been discussed. The conception of Chapter V is more modern and selective. After a summary of the most important components, discussion is made of their sensory impression focusing on essential biogenetic and analytical facts, including chirality. Another current topic of fruit flavour research, studies on bound forms of aroma compounds such as glycosides and phosphates, is treated in Chapter 11.

All the chapters provide comprehensive information about the composition of the respective fruit flavours but, in some cases, the presentation is too unselective. How- ever, every flavour chemist working on fruit flavours will be glad to have such ready access to the most important facts. As in the previous volumes print and layout are of high quality. However, several mistakes found in the chemical formulae have to be criticised (see p. 51). There is a good subject index and spot checks revealed no errors or obvious omissions. Considering the informa- tion collected and the presentation the price of the book is reasonable.

PETER SCHREIER Wiirzburg, FRG