Bergamot orange 1413873 223593875 2008-07-04T20:03:51Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. Formatted: title, pmid. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. :''This article is about the citrus fruit. For the herb, see [[Monarda didyma]]. {{Taxobox | name = Bergamot orange | image = Koeh-184.jpg | image_width = 240px | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]] | subclassis = [[Rosidae]] | ordo = [[Sapindales]] | familia = [[Rutaceae]] | genus = ''[[Citrus]]'' | species = ''[[Citrus aurantium|C. aurantium]]'' x [[Citrus medica|C. medica]] | subspecies = '''''C. a.'' ssp. ''bergamia''''' | trinomial = ''Citrus aurantium'' ssp. ''bergamia'' | trinomial_authority = ([[Joseph Antoine Risso|Risso]]) [[John Wright (botanist)|Wright]] & [[George Arnott Walker Arnott|Arn.]] }} The '''bergamot''' ('''''Citrus aurantium'' ssp. ''bergamia''''') is a small and roughly pear-shaped [[citrus]] fruit originating and grown mainly in [[Calabria]], [[Italy]]. Bergamot grow on small [[evergreen]] trees known as bergamots, which are produced from a cross of the [[pear lemon]] and the [[Seville orange]] or [[grapefruit]]. Shoots of the bergamot tree can also be grafted into similar citrus trees to produce the bergamot fruit. The flowers of the bergamot tree [[blossom]] during the spring. The bergamot orange is unrelated to the herb of the same name, ''[[Monarda didyma]]''. ==Production== Production mostly is limited to the [[Ionian Sea|Ionian]] coastal region of the province of [[Calabria]] in [[Italy]], to such an extent that it is a symbol of the entire region. Most of the bergamot comes from a short stretch of land where the temperature is favourable. In no other part of the world does it fructify with the same yield and quality of essence; it is cultivated in [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], but the quality of the obtained essence is not comparable with the essence produced from the bergamots of Reggio Calabria due to the [[argillite]], [[limestone]] and [[alluvial]] deposits found there.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} ==Uses== ===In food=== An essence extracted from the aromatic skin of this sour fruit is used to flavour [[Earl Grey tea]] and [[confectionery]]. One Italian food manufacturer produces a commercial marmalade using the fruit as its principal ingredient. It is also popular in Greece as a preserve, made with bergamot peel boiled in sugar syrup. ===As a scent=== Bergamot peel is used in [[perfumery]] for its ability to combine with an array of scents to form a bouquet of [[aroma]]s which complement each other. Approximately one third of all men's and about half of women’s perfumes contain bergamot essential oil{{Fact|date=June 2008}}. Bergamot was a component of the original [[Eau de Cologne]] developed in 17th century [[Germany]] - in 1704 the bergamot was first used to make the now famous "[[Perfume|Eau de toilette]]" from the bergamot fruit by scooping out the pulp and squeezing the peel into sponges. Bergamot peel is also used in [[aromatherapy]] to treat [[depression (mood)|depression]] and as a digestive aid. ===Companion plant=== Bergamot's aromatic roots are thought to mask other nearby plants from pests that attack their roots, and so are sometimes grown as a companion in vegetable gardens. ===Toxicology=== In one study, oil of bergamot has been linked to certain [[phototoxic]]<ref>{{cite journal |author=Girard J, Unkovic J, Delahayes J, Lafille C |title=[Phototoxicity of Bergamot oil. Comparison between humans and guinea pigs] |language=French |journal=Dermatologica |volume=158 |issue=4 |pages=229–43 |year=1979 |pmid=428611 |doi=}}</ref> effects (due to the chemical [[bergaptene]]) and blocking the absorption of potassium in the [[intestines]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Finsterer J |title=Earl Grey tea intoxication |journal=Lancet |volume=359 |issue=9316 |pages=1484 |year=2002 |pmid=11988248 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08436-2}}</ref> Bergamot is also a source of [[bergamottin]] which, along with the chemically related compound 6’,7’-dihydroxybergamottin, is believed to be responsible for the [[grapefruit juice effect]] in which the consumption of the juice affects the metabolism of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs.<ref>{{cite journal | author = David G. Bailey, J. Malcolm, O. Arnold, J. David Spence | title = Grapefruit juice-drug interactions| journal = Br J Clin Pharmacol | year = 1998| volume = 46 | pages = 101–110 | doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2125.1998.00764.x}}</ref> ===In sunscreens=== In the past [[psoralen]] - extracted from bergamot oil - has been used in [[tanning accelerator]]s and [[sunscreen controversy|sunscreens]]. Psoralens penetrate the skin, where they increase the amount of [[direct DNA damage]]. This damage is responsible for sunburn and for an increased melanin production. </br> These substances were known to be [[photocarcinogen]]ic since 1959,<ref name=Urbach> {{cite journal |author=Urbach, F |title=Modification of ultraviolet carcinogenesis by photoactive agents |url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13641813?dopt=Abstract&holding=npg |journal=J Invest Dermatol |volume=32 |issue= |pages= 373–378 |year=1959 |pmid=13641813 |issn=}}</ref> but they were only banned from sunscreens in 1995.<ref name=Autier> {{cite journal |author=Autier P; Dore J F; Schifflers E; et al |title=Melanoma and use of sunscreens: An EORTC case control study in Germany, Belgium and France |url= |journal=Int. J. Cancer |volume=61 |issue= |pages=749–755 |year=1995|doi=10.1002/ijc.2910610602}}</ref> These photocarcinogenic substances were banned years after they had caused many cases of malignant melanoma and deaths.<ref name=Autier1997> {{cite journal |author=Autier P. ; Dore J.-F. ; Cesarini J.-P. |title=Should subjects who used psoralen suntan activators be screened for melanoma?|url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/t6222620211w50w9/ |journal=Annals of oncology |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=435–437 |year=1997|issn=0923-7534 |doi=10.1023/A:1008205513771 |pmid=9233521}}</ref> Psoralen is now used only in the treatment of certain skin disorders, as part of [[PUVA]] therapy. ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://wlnaturalhealth.com/essential-oils-profiles/bergamot.htm Bergamot essential oil in aromatherapy] - possible therapeutic uses *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4883068.stm BBC news story on the farming of Bergamot in the Calabria region of Italy] *[http://www.ot-nancy.fr/uk/se_restaurer/specialites.php Information about the hard candy ''bergamote de Nancy''] [[Category:Citrus]] [[ar:البرغموت]] [[de:Bergamotte]] [[et:Bergamott]] [[es:Citrus × bergamia]] [[eo:Bergamotujo]] [[fr:Bergamote]] [[it:Citrus × bergamia]] [[ka:ბერგამოტი]] [[mk:Бергамот]] [[nl:Bergamot (citrusvrucht)]] [[ja:ベルガモット]] [[no:Bergamott]] [[pl:Pomarańcza bergamota]] [[pt:Citrus bergamia]] [[ru:Бергамот]] [[sl:Bergamot]] [[fi:Bergamotti]] [[sv:Bergamott]] [[yi:בערגאמאט]] [[zh:佛手柑]]