Kaffir lime leaf essential oil : the real fragrance

This note is just to bring to your attention a recent Indonesian publication from Juillet 2026 :

Characterization and Chemical Identification of Kaffir Lime (Citrus hystrix) Leaf Essential Oil

This paper is very surprising (except perhaps to its authors) because it gives isopulegol as the major compound in kaffir lime leaf essential oil at 60.94%, followed by citronellol (7.50%), linalool (6.46%), citronellal (usually the major component, and here at 1.44%), and limonene (0.36%, when it is usually around 6%).

How is it possible that isopulegol, typical of Java citronella in much smaller quantities, appears here in such proportions?

We know that extraction by supercritical water at 150° increases the percentage of isopulegol by degrading citronellal.

That's the only possible explanation.

So you have to be careful with your kaffir lime leaf essential oils not to extract them at excessively high temperatures if you want to preserve the authentic fragrance.