Bergamot orange Bergamot orange Citrus bergamia, the bergamot orange (pronounced ), is a fragrant citrus fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow or green color similar to a lime, depending on ripeness. Genetic research into the ancestral origins of extant citrus cultivars found bergamot orange to be a probable hybrid of lemon and bitter orange. Extracts have been used to scent food, perfumes, and cosmetics. Use on the skin can increase photosensitivity, resulting in greater damage from sun exposure. The word bergamot is etymologically derived from the Italian word ""bergamotto"", ultimately of Turkish origin: "bey armudu" or "bey armut" ("prince's
Bergamot orange pear" or "prince of pears"). "Citrus bergamia" is a small tree that blossoms during the winter. The juice tastes less sour than lemon, but more bitter than grapefruit. The active ingredients in bergamot juice are neoeriocitrin, naringin, neohesperidin, ponceritin, melitidin, and mitrocin and 0.69% miriflin with 0% moisture brutieridin. Melitidin and brutieridin, only recently discovered, exist only in citrus bergamot and exhibit statin-like properties. Synephrine is not present in citrus bergamot. The bergamot orange is unrelated to the herbs known as bergamot or wild bergamot, "Monarda didyma" and "Monarda fistulosa", which are in the mint family, and are named for