Spearmint Production for Essential Oils and Resins

Spearmint Production for Essential Oils and Resins

Lots of crops are grown for their essential oils and for subsequent resin and essential oil extraction purposes. Spearmint is a common crop grown for such purposes.

Spearmint Production for Essential Oils and Resins are mainly grown in the USA with some recent development in China, India, Canada and South America. The world market for spearmint oils is approximately 1500 tonne/yr and increasing at approximately 5% per year.

The spearmint oil market, while smaller than peppermint oil (approx. 3500 tonne/yr), it is substantial and is one of the larger essential oil commodities. Many oral care products are now using acombination of spearmint and peppermint oils to “soften” the flavour and appeal to a wider market. In some cases blends may be up to 1:1 ratio of the two oils.

Chewing gum is perhaps one of the best known common uses for spearmint oils.

The synthesis of the chemical constituents in spearmint oil does not have strict geographic or climatic constraints that peppermint oil production involves. There are no major undesirable oil components and the quality of the spearmint oil produced is influenced mainly a variety and management rather than geographical location.

This broadens the potential area for suitable for spearmint oil production. The limiting factors will be soil type, irrigation capacity and access to processing infrastructure. Obviously with hydroponic and modern greenhouse growing methods, spearmint crop production for resins and oils is possible in any part of the world during any season.

The price of spearmint oil fluctuates from year to year with Native spearmint typically at 20-40% less than peppermint oil and Scotch spearmint 0-10% more than peppermint oil. Maximum prices are only reached if the major oil components carvone and limonene are in the correct balance with the other flavour components.

Currently spearmint prices are rising and are expected to continue rising for several years.

Spearmint is relatively easy to grow and can be managed as a hardy perennial crop. Typically, Scotch Spearmint is favored for commercial production for extraction of resins and essential oils.