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What is "Orange Oil" |
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I’m sure we all remember, especially as children squeezing the peel of an orange (or any citrus peel) and experiencing the spray of liquid that sometimes stung the eye or mysteriously cleaned up a messy spot on the bench. This ‘liquid’ is actually Orange Oil escaping from its ‘sack’ in the outer layer or "flavedo" of the peel.
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How is the oil extracted |
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The primary method of extracting sweet orange oil is through a physical process called ‘cold pressing’. Such oils are called "cold-pressed" because heat is not involved in the extraction and the peel (like in the distillation method of essential oil extraction) is sometimes pressed to release the oil.
During the process to extract juice, the initial ‘crush’ ruptures the oil sacks in the outer peel and a spray of water collects it and directs it away from the juice collection. The cold-pressing process is not without its own problems. During its removal, the oil becomes bound up with wax particles and sticky pectin from the ruptured cells of the flavedo. It is very difficult to separate the oil from this semi-solid mixture once it forms, so processes like filtration and separation via centrifuge are required to obtain the clean, fresh oil. This oil is used in our Orange Power Air Fresheners as it retains most of its fresh fruity fragrance.
Further processing of the oil by distillation method is used to produce a clear
liquid called “technical grade d-Limonene” which is used in all our Orange Power cleaning products. After the juicing process, the peels are conveyed to a steam extractor. This extracts more of the oil from the peel. When the steam is condensed, a layer of oil floats on the surface of the condensed water. This is technical grade d-limonene.
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Orange Oil Application |
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Orange oil and d-Limonene are two highly versatile chemicals extracted from orange
peels during the juicing process. Due to their high solvency, attractive citrus
odor, versatility, and GRAS rating ("Generally Recognized As Safe") from the US FDA, “Orange Power’s” orange oil and d-Limonene can be used safely and effectively in a wide variety of applications.
As a straight solvent, d-limonene can replace a wide variety of products, including mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, toluene, glycol ethers, and of course fluorinated and chlorinated organic solvents. By combining d-limonene with a surfactant package, a water dilutable and rinsible solution can be made. d-Limonene is a very versatile chemical which can be used in a wide variety of applications. It is extremely safe and more effective than typical cleaning solutions.
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