Book 9, Question 97
Why Do Citrus Peels Smell Stronger than the Juicy Insides?
Citrus peels smell stronger because the peel is packed with little oil glands! The oils are full of aroma molecules, so the outside is a super-powered perfume. The juicy inside is milder because it is mostly water and sugar.
More fun facts
- The colorful outer layer of a citrus peel is called the flavedo, and it is packed with tiny oil glands.
- Each oil gland is a little hollow space lined with layers of special cells that are thought to make the oil.
- The white layer under the colored skin, called the albedo, does not make the essential oil.
- A citrus fruit's oil glands form early, but they fill up with oil later as the fruit grows.
- The juicy inside of a citrus fruit is made of tiny juice sacs, a structure found in no other kind of fruit.
- The cells in the juice sacs store lots of citric acid.
- Scientists have found over 100 different smell chemicals in the juice of just four kinds of citrus fruit.
Sources: National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Health, journals.plos.org
Questions kids ask
What is citrus zest?
Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of the peel, grated off to add flavor. It is where the fragrant oil glands are.