Résumé
The peel of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) is extremely rich in aromatic compounds, named essential oil. Sweet orange peel essential oil (PEO) is the most produced in term of volume mainly as a byproduct of the juice industry and the most important in term of value. The high volume available and the global appreciation of sweet orange aroma explain its numerous use in food and beverages. The aromatic profile of sweet orange peel essential oil can be influenced by numerous factors such as the rootstock, the ploidy level and the fruit development stage. The influence of these three factors on the aroma of sweet orange was analyzed based on the biological resources from the INRAE-Cirad citrus collection and from agronomical trials produced by the same institution. The stage of fruit development appeared to be the most important factor with extensive changes in PEO composition and aroma in immature fruitlets whereas the composition remained stable in mature fruits. The changes in composition were associated with greener notes in fruitlet and fruitier notes at advanced fruit maturity. The rootstock induced low but significant variation in composition and in aromatic profile, whereas ploidy level has no significant influence on the composition of orange essential oil, but significant influence of the aroma