Bergamot: all the uses and properties

Bergamot, Citrus x bergamia or Citrus x aurantium subsp. bergamia, belongs to the Rutaceae family, and is therefore a relative of all citrus fruits.

The plant is a tree native to China, introduced to the Mediterranean and North Africa in ancient times.

However, its botanical origin is still unknown; if a Bergamot seed is planted, the resulting plant is not Bergamot, but Bitter Orange. Only later can the latter be grafted onto Bergamot.

This observation has led scholars to believe that Bergamot originated from the natural mutation of Bitter Orange.

Regarding the etymology of its name, some say it derives from the Spanish city of Berga, present-day Barcelona, ​​others from the city of Pergamon, ancient Troy, still others from the Turkish Berg-a-mudi, which means “Lord’s pear”, due to the pear-shaped first fruits of Bergamot.

The plant does not exceed 4-5 meters in height; it has irregular branches and dark green leaves, alternate, oblong, without hair, and rich in glands containing essential oil. The fruits are roundish, sometimes spherical, with smooth and thick peel ranging from green to yellow as they ripen, weighing from 80 to 200 grams.

Bergamot fruits consist of:

– an outer part rich in oil glands, containing essential oil, and colored pigments from green to yellow, called epicarp or flavedo. The epicarp is covered externally by a thin cuticle containing stomata;

– a lower part, consisting of a white and spongy tissue composed of 20% pectin substances, called mesocarp or albedo;

– an inner part called endocarp or pulp, representing 65-70% of the fruit. The endocarp contains segments or slices, distributed around a central axis called medulla, composed of spongy material like the albedo. The segments are wrapped in a light cuticle and contain vesicles with juice inside. The seeds are located near the central axis.

Bergamot begins to bloom in the last days of March and throughout April. The flower is generally called by the name of zagara: from the Sicilian word of Arabic origin zagara, “flower”; this is why the Bergamot flower distinguishes Reggio Calabria as the “city of zagara“.

Bergamot fruits are harvested from October to December, when the proper turgidity of the peel offers greater resistance to pressure, facilitating the breaking of the oil glands and the release of the essence.

The main producers are Italy (Calabria) and Ivory Coast.

Bergamot essential oil is obtained by cold pressing using the “peeler” method, that is, the fruit is placed inside machines with rotating cylinders, which scrape the cells rich in essence. Then the oil is separated from the fruit by centrifugation.

Another step consists of the elimination of furanocoumarins, photosensitizing substances, which is achieved through vacuum redistillation, thus obtaining Bergamot FCF (= furanocoumarin free) essence, which may contain a maximum of 0.001% furanocoumarins.

Bergamot essential oil contains monoterpenes (d-limonene, beta-pinene, para-cymene, alpha-terpinene, camphene, sabinene), monoterpenol alcohols (linalool, nerol, geraniol, alpha-terpineol, guaienol, spatulenol, nerolidol, farnesol), esters, aldehydes, sesquiterpenes, and coumarins.

The use of essential oil is mainly intended for cosmetics and perfumery. It is, in fact, the basis of the recipe for Eau de Cologne, formulated in the early 18th century by Paolo Feminis, the first “eau de cologne”, famous under the name “4711”, from the street number of the laboratory where the perfumer worked. Today, major fashion houses such as Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, and luxury perfumery industries compete for the essential oil.

Its aroma is fresh, lemony-fruity with traces of balsamic odor.

Bergamot essential oil also finds use from a health perspective: it has a relaxing and sedative action, possesses antispasmodic, antibacterial, and antifungal activity. In particular, it can be used in cases of psoriasis and vitiligo, acne, boils, eczema, and seborrhea.

It can soothe, when used for inhalation, in case of lung infections, bad breath, and colds, in combination with Lavender and Neroli essential oils. In cases of lack of appetite, 2 drops of Bergamot essential oil can be taken with a sugar cube or a teaspoon of honey.

Furthermore, among the most well-known products outside the field of cosmetics and perfumery in which Bergamot essential oil is used is Earl Grey tea, one of the most widespread flavored teas in the world.

ANJA LATINI

Registered Herbalist RNEP no. GLT0018S