Citral

The terpene citral manifests as two distinct isomers, geranial (Citral A) and neral (Citral B). To add confusion to the issue, literature references to citral frequently employ the name “geranial,” but sometimes instead use “lemonal.” Citral is a monoterpenes produced by cannabis, lemon, lemon balm, lemongrass, lime, and orange, among several other plant species.

As its name suggests, citral conveys an aroma that is heavily citrus in nature, making it similar to its chemical cousin and fellow terpene, limonene. As readers might expect, the two terpene isomers, geranial and neral, convey aroma and flavor profiles dominated by citrus tones and, more specifically, lemon. In terms of both aroma and flavor, the one-word takeaway for this pair of terpene isomers is, without question, “lemon.”

It should be noted that neral delivers a less intense, but sweeter, version of lemon. Both terpenes are employed as aroma and flavor agents by the cosmetics and food industries.