The flavor of lemon fruit

Lemons are the fruits of the tree Citrus limon L. Burm. which is extensively cultivated in Sicily, Italy and California and to a limited extent in Florida, Spain, Brazil and Argentina although the tree will grow in many other areas having a typical Mediterranean type of climate.

Lemon flavors are among the most popular fruit flavors for beverages.

The ovoid fruits are from 2.5 to 4 inch in length, the yellow rind enclosing 8 to 10 fleshy segments, the cells of which contain a very acidic juice. The fruit is very acidic, although some sweet varieties are known. They are harvested while still green and allowed to ripen under controlled conditions to enhance the flavor.

Lemon fruit is influenced by a number of preharvest factors, including cultivar, rootstock, tree age, geographic location of production, tree nutrition, climate and fruit maturity at harvest.

The essential oil is recovered from the peel by cold expression or by distillation, depending upon the region of production. The peel essential oil of lemon is located in small ductless glands in the outer of peel oil ends up in the juice and provides much of the flavor characteristics of each citrus juice.

The juice is used as the basis for soft drinks and in food processing.

Some of the flavor including the ‘top note’ is provided by volatile compounds that are also presents in the juice sacs, including oil-soluble components in juice oil located within the juice sac.

These volatile flavor components complement the flavor provided by peel oil in citrus juice.

The characteristics flavor volatiles of each citrus variety are complex mixtures of terpene hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes and esters, among others.

Over 200 compounds have been identified and quantified in volatiles of grapefruit juice.
The flavor of lemon fruit

Lemon in History

The lemon, Citrus limon, owes its name entirely to the botanies, for its was unknown to classical writers.

The origin of lemon, has been a mystery, although there exists some indication that is a native of southeastern China, and it was cultivated before the Sung dynasty.

There was a suggestion that lemon originated in the foothills of Kashmir and reached the province of Kuan-tong by 1900 BC.

Apparently the lemon was introduced to Persia and Palestine at the beginning of the twelfth century A.D as it was then commonly grown in those countries and is described in many Arabia works of that period.

From the tenth century AD onwards the Arabs, took it all around the Mediterranean basin, eastwards to Greece by way of Constantinople, westwards to Spain by way of the Maghreb and Fezzan.

The transmigration to Europe belongs to the invasion of the West by those mighty caliphs, who from the heart of Southern Asia, extended their conquests to the foot of Pyrenees, leaving everywhere traces of their power and of their knowledge.

The lemon, thus transported by the Arabs into every part of their vast empire where it would grow, was found by the Crusaders in Syria and Palestine towards the end of the eleventh century.

The lemon was brought to northern Africa, Spain and Sicily, probably by the Crusaders, who followed the activities of the Arabs in spreading citrus culture.

The crusaders conquered Granada in 1492 and reunited the whole Spain. It seems likely that a range of lemon trees was already growing there and that the now colonist would have continued to cultivate as the Moors had done previously.

Once Spain and Portugal colonized most of the New World and they then introduced lemon to the Americas.
Lemon in History

Lemons

Lemons
Lemons trees may be grown from nursery root stock, but mostly the fruit is grown on graft made on stock of the sour orange.

Once established, the trees may bear fruit for many years. Since the trees, and particular the fruit, are damaged by freezing temperatures, they may have to be protected in cold weather.

Lemons are produced in United States, mainly in California and Arizona.

They are harvested when the skin in green or silver in color and ripened to a yellow color in bins, the air of which contains some ethylene.

Most lemons are marketed in the fresh state, and as such are handled in much the same manner as are grapefruit.

Cooled to about 32 degree F and held at this temperature, fresh lemons have a storage life of 1 – 4 months.

Some lemon juice is prepared and frozen as a lemonade concentrate. The fruit is washed, sized and inspected, after which the juice is extracted and screened.

Sugar is added to provide a soluble solid to acid ration of 14:1 – 19:1. The mixture is then evaporated at low temperature under vacuum to provide a 5:1 concentrate.

The screen pulp (which contains some liquid) is then added to the concentrate to provide 2.4 – 4% pulp by volume.

The concentrate mixture is frozen to a slush having a temperature of 25 degree F ( - 3.9% degree C) in a refrigerated heat exchanger.

The slush is filled into cans, the cans sealed and conveyed through a cold air tunnel until the product is cooled to a temperature of – 18 degree F (-27 degree C) or lower.

Some lemon juice is evaporated to a concentration of about 2:1 and packaged in glass or plastic containers with 0.1% sodium benzoate. Pulp and sugar are not added to this product, which requires no refrigeration. Pectin is manufactured from lemon peel as in the case of grapefruit.
Lemons

Lemon

Lemon
Lemons are the fruits of the tree Citrus limon L. Burm. which is extensively cultivated in Sicily, Italy and California and to a limited extent in Florida, Spain, Brazil and Argentina although the tree will grow in many other areas having a typical Mediterranean type of climate.

The ovoid fruits are from 2.5 to 4 inch in length, the yellow rind enclosing 8 to 10 fleshy segments, the cells of which contain a very acidic juice.

The essential oil is recovered from the peel by cold expression or by distillation, depending upon the region of production.
Lemon