IFEATWORLD September 2021

WORLD 33
African lime oils on behalf of the Rose
Company which was later to become
part of Schweppes in the 1950s and
then Coca Cola.
One of my earliest memories of the
industry is seeing flasks of Cuban
lime oil packed in straw lined wooden
cases. The unlabelled flasks had to be
sampled carefully as there was always
one or two of the more valuable dark
green cold-pressed oils in a shipment.
Disappointingly, during a four-day trip
to Cuba in the 1990s, I was unable
to visit the one very dilapidated lime
factory near Guantanamo Bay.
One of my first tasks during my training
in the 1970s was uncorking small
aluminium bottle samples from UNPAL
(the National Union of Lime Producers
of Mexico) and checking the optical
rotation which was the main analytical
parameter for quality. I can still
recollect the volatile fresh top notes.
Mexico had been processing Key
limes since the 1930s. By the 1970s
more than 500 tonnes a year of oil
were exported. Mexico also grows
Persian limes which have an inferior
flavour. Persian limes are only
processed to produce cold pressed
oil, not distilled oil. Persian distilled
lime oil was produced in Florida
during the 1980s by Howard Kendal
but did not gain market acceptance
as it was perceived as too different
from distilled Key lime oil.
Key limes had been grown in Peru
for many years for use in ceviche (a
fish dish marinated in lime juice).
Frequently there could be an
extreme oversupply of limes during
El Niño years as the quantity of fish
caught in the Pacific Ocean could
be substantially reduced thereby
reducing fresh lime consumption. A
Mexican missionary named Porfirio
Díaz was based in northern Peru and
he introduced the technology for
lime processing in 1967. The lime oil
price then began its decline from
$14.75 to $4.50 per pound in weight,
as there was overproduction. In 1982
I made my first visit to Peru which
was swiftly followed by a visit to
Mexico, hosted by my good friends
the Readhimer family who this year
are celebrating 50 years of lime
processing.
MY FAVOURITE • DISTILLED KEY LIME OIL