Orange Essence Vs. Bitter Orange

The ingredient, bitter orange, often can be found in weight loss products that formerly used ephedra, which is banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Look at a concentrated juice product food label and you'll see the listing, "orange essence." While both items seem similar because they have the word "orange" in them, and both are produced for consumption, they have different purposes.

Bitter Orange

Bitter orange is an herbal ingredient that comes from the bitter orange tree. It's featured in many "natural" weight loss products in dried form. It may include the dried peel, fruit, leaves or flowers of the bitter orange tree. You'll find it in tablets, extracts or capsules.

Orange Essence

Orange essence is the name for a food additive that is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It refers to orange oil derived from the orange's peel that is dissolved in alcohol. Orange essence is a flavoring that is used in juice. Its use is somewhat restricted due to its alcohol base. For example, when it comes to juice products manufacturers can only put it in those that are concentrated, notes Alissa Hamilton in the book, "Squeezed."

Compounds

The compounds in orange essence that make it valuable as a juice concentrate additive include limonene, which is responsible for its "citrusy" aroma. Limonene makes up more than 95 percent of the essence oil. A compound called acetaldehyde is largely responsible for the orange flavor in the essence.

Bitter orange has chemicals in it called synephrine and octopamine, which are similar to the chemicals in ephedra. Ephedra is banned by the FDA because it's linked to strokes and heart attacks and raises blood pressure. According to the National Centers for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, scientific evidence as of 2011 doesn't support the theory that bitter orange is any safer than ephedra. If you consume bitter orange, you risk fainting, migraines and a possible stroke or heart attack, warns nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky in the MayoClinic.com article, "Is bitter orange safe and effective for weight loss?" That risk is raised when you take bitter orange in combination with caffeine or other herbs that have stimulant properties.

Names

The Latin name for bitter orange is Citrus aurantium, and other common names for it include Zhi shi, Seville orange and sour orange. The Latin name for sweet orange, which orange essence used to flavor juice is derived from, is Citrus sinensis.