Essential Oil Constituents of Peppermint, Pennyroyal, and Apple Mint Grown in a Desert Agrosystem

Abstract

Species of mint are primarily cultivated for their essential oils used by the perfumery, flavoring, and pharmaceutical industries. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.) were grown in this study in a desert agrosystem of the Nubaria region, west of the Nile Delta, to determine the essential oil constituency within this region of Egypt. The plants were grown using drip irrigation and common cultivation practices for the area. Essential oils were extracted and the chemical composition determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Oil yields were 0.12%, 0.19%, and 0.17% for peppermint, pennyroyal, and apple mint, respectively. The major components of peppermint essential oil were menthol (34.29%), isomenthyl acetate (30.47%), and ρ-menthone (15.61%). Pulegone (88.05%) and isomenthone (5.75%) were the major components of pennyroyal. In apple mint, the major constituents were linalool (35.32%), ρ-menth-1-en-8-ol, (11.08%), and geranyl acetate (10.86%).

KEYWORDS:

• Mentha x piperita
• Mentha pulegium
• Mentha rotundifolia
• Mentha suaveolens

Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research Extension, Education Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture; Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station; and the Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences under Project No. MAS000729 and the U. S. Egypt Science and Technology Program.