MINT OIL PROCESS AND FORMULA
[CODE NO.3751]
Mints belong to the genus Mentha, in the family Labiatae (Lamiaceae) which includes other commonly grown essential oil-yielding plants such as basil, sage, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, pennyroyal and thyme. Within the genus Mentha there are several commercially grown species, varying in their major chemical content, aroma and end use. Their oils and derived aroma compounds are traded world-wide.
The four most commonly cultivated species are:
Japanese Mint/Menthol Mint (M.arvensis)
Peppermint (M.piperita)
Spearmint (M. spicata)
Bergamot mint (M. citrata)
All are herbaceous plants, readily sending out runners (rainy season) and stolons (winter), which develop new roots and shoots at the nodes and form plants. The entire aerial shoots together with foliage is a source of essential oil rich in menthol, carvone, linalool and linanyl acetate having use in pharmaceutical preparations and flavour industry.
For the past four decades, mints are commercially cultivated in India. Of these, the Japanese Mint, yielding menthol is grown extensively in northern India. Other major producing countries are China and Brazil and to a smaller extent Thailand and Vietnam.
The cultivation of Japanese or corn mint originated from Brazil and China. Subsequently, China and India overtook Brazil and more recently India has taken the leading position in cultivation of this essential oil yielding plant.
Japanese mint is a perennial ascending herb growing about 60-80 cm. in height and under favourable conditions may attain a height upto 100 cm. It is propagated mainly by its stolons. Leaves are lanceolate-oblong, sharply toothed; petiole is small about 5mm. in length. The leaf lamina varies from 5 to 15 cm. The leaf surfaces mainly lower side is covered with dense hairy growth of glandular trichomes. Flowers are borne in axillary and terminal verticillaster, abundant in number, purplish in colour. The flowers are small with corolla measuring 4-5mm., calyx 2-3mm., narrowly deltoid and acuminate. It does not produce seed and propagation is through vegetative means only.
At present, Japnese mint is cultivated in India on about 60,000 ha. of land with estimated production of 12,000 tonnes of mint oil which accounts for about 75% of total menthol mint production in the world.
The following Table gives estimated area & production of various mint species in India vis-à-vis world production.
Table: Estimated area and production of mint in India and abroad.
Japanese Mint (Mentha arvensis var piperascense) is an aromatic perennial herb, grown as an annual in sub-tropical parts of north India. The over-ground herb (foliage) on distillation yields an essential oil, containing high (75 – 80%) menthol content. The oil has a bitter cooling taste, harsh odour and is the principal source of menthol. It is used in combating cold, used as an ingredient in cough drops and related pharmaceuticals, dentifrices, cosmetics, mouth washes, scenting of tobacco products and flavouring of beverages. Synthetic menthol has also come in market but its volumes are meagre due to high cost of production. Besides, natural menthol is preferred in food and flavour industry.
The term "mint" is an umbrella term for the Mentha plant family that includes spearmint, peppermint, orange mint, apple mint, pineapple mint and more. Mint is a perennial and wide-spreading herb. When planted in good soil, mint grows wild, and can overtake gardens and lawns, making it a popular container gardening herb. The plant has a wide variety of uses, from a breath freshener to a stomach-soother. Each variety of mint has its own distinct flavor, but the two most well-known are spearmint and peppermint.
Spearmint's relatively mild flavor comes from the chemical ingredient carvone. It's most widespread use is Wrigley's® Spearmint Gum. Peppermint's flavor is similar to spearmint, but it contains the ingredient menthol, making its flavor stronger and more pronounced. Both spearmint and peppermint have menthol in them but peppermint contains higher menthol content (40% versus .05% in spearmint).
When on the extract aisle of the grocery store, there's a difference as well. Mint extract is a mixture of spearmint and peppermint, whereas peppermint extract is just that.
COST ESTIMATION
Plant Capacity 100 Kg/Day
Land & Building (1000 sq.mt.) Rs. 1.25 Cr
Plant & Machinery Rs. 57 Lac
Working Capital for 1 Month Rs. 1.18 Cr
Total Capital Investment Rs. 3.11 Cr
Rate of Return 38%
Break Even Point 60%
INTRODUCTION
THE FOUR MOST COMMONLY CULTIVATED SPECIES ARE:
TABLE: ESTIMATED AREA AND PRODUCTION OF MINT IN INDIA & ABROAD
THERE ARE FOUR MAIN MINT COMMODITIES:
IN THIS REPORT FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS APPLY:
MENTHE (MINT)
DISTRIBUTION
TYPES OF MINTS
A) JAPANESE MINT
B) PEPPERMINT
C) SPEARMINT
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND USES
JAPANESE MINT (M.ARVENSIS)
PEPPERMINT (M.PIPERITA)
BERGAMOT MINT (M.CITRATE)
SPEARMINT (M.SPICATA)
VARIETIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MINTS
PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PEPPERMINT OIL
USES AND APPLICATION
PEPPERMINT OIL
B.I.S. SPECIFICATION
MINT OIL EXTRACTION BY DISTILLATION
STORAGE OF OIL
GUIDE OF ESSENTIAL OIL EXTRACTION METHOD
STEAM DISTILLATION
STEAM DISTILLATION PROCESS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
CO2 EXTRACTION
THE CO2 EXTRACTION PROCESS
DISTILLATION AND PROCESSING OF MENTHA OIL
FORMULATION
MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF MINT OIL
PROCESS IN DETAILS
OPERATIONAL TARGETS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
DISTILLATION OPERATIONS
THIS ENABLES DETERMINATION OF
HYDRODISTILLATION PROCESS FOR ESSENTIAL MINT OILS
GLOBAL OVERVIEW OF ESSENTIAL OIL
RECENT TRENDS
GLOBAL MARKET POSITION
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE OF PEPPERMINT
STORAGE OF PEPPERMINT OIL:-
PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN DURING STORAGE.
RECTIFICATION:-
PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR PEPPERMINT OIL EXTRACTION
PROCESS FLOW SHEET FOR MENTHA OIL & MENTHA CRYSTAL
QUALITY CONTROL
TESTING OF FINISHED PRODUCTS
PROPAGATION OF MINT
PRODUCTION OF STOLONS
PLANTING FROM STOLONS
IRRIGATION
NUTRITION
INTERCULTURAL OPERATIONS
CROP ROTATION
PRINCIPLES OF PLANT LAYOUT
PLANT LOCATION FACTORS
EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED IN THE PROJECT REPORT
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULES
SUPPLIERS OF RAW MATERIALS
MINT LEAVES
TURNKEY PLANT & MACHINERY SUPPLIERS
SUPPLIERS OF PLANT AND MACHINERIES
SUPPLIERS OF STEAM DISTILLATION UNIT
SUPPLIERS OF FRACTIONATING COLUMN
SUPPLIERS OF STORAGE TANKS
SUPPLIERS OF BOILERS
SUPPLIERS OF FRACTIONAL CHILLING UNIT
APPENDIX – A:
01. PLANT ECONOMICS
02. LAND & BUILDING
03. PLANT AND MACHINERY
04. OTHER FIXED ASSESTS
05. FIXED CAPITAL
06. RAW MATERIAL
07. SALARY AND WAGES
08. UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS
09. TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL
10. TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT
11. COST OF PRODUCTION
12. TURN OVER/ANNUM
13. BREAK EVEN POINT
14. RESOURCES FOR FINANCE
15. INSTALMENT PAYABLE IN 5 YEARS
16. DEPRECIATION CHART FOR 5 YEARS
17. PROFIT ANALYSIS FOR 5 YEARS
18. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET FOR (5 YEARS)
