Recently limoncello, an Italian liqueur made with lemons, has gained great
popularity with rapid and unexpected diffusion. Characterisation of the pro
duct is therefore necessary so that quality and authenticity parameters can
be established. The literature does not report any data on the analysis of
this liqueur. Hence, in this work, in 13 samples of limoncello, chemical,
physico-chemical parameters and composition of the aromatic fraction were d
etermined. The chemical and physicochemical parameters differed considerabl
y from sample to sample. This is probably due to the different cultivars of
lemons, pedoclimatic conditions and cultivation techniques, as well as to
the different procedures for preparing the liqueur. Results showed that the
aromatic components present in the lemon peel undergo many changes during
preparation of the liqueur and during storage, mainly catalysed by aqueous
acidic medium, high temperatures and UV irradiation.