Geraniol (GL)

Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil (Java type). It also occurs in small quantities in geranium, lemon, and many other essential oils. It appears as a clear to pale-yellow oil that is insoluble in water, but soluble in most common organic solvents. It has a rose-like scent and is commonly used in perfumes. It is used in flavors such as peach, raspberry, grapefruit, red apple, plum, lime, orange, lemon, watermelon, pineapple, and blueberry. The functional group based on geraniol (in essence, geraniol lacking the terminal -OH) is called geranyl. It is important in biosynthesis of other terpenes. It is a by-product of the metabolism of sorbate and, thus, is a very unpleasant contaminant of wine if bacteria are allowed to grow in wine. In acidic solutions, geraniol is converted to the cyclic terpene alpha-terpineol.