Mint : the genus Mentha
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Mint : the genus Mentha
(Medicinal and aromatic plants : industrial profiles, v. 44)
CRC Press, c2007
- : hardcover
Available at 2 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
For thousands of years mint has enjoyed an honored place in pharmacopoeias and kitchen cupboards in India, China, Europe, North America, and elsewhere. Today the amount of essential oils produced from the four major mint species (cornmint, peppermint, Native spearmint, and Scotch spearmint) exceeds 23,000 metric tonnes annually with a market value of more than $400 million. This makes mint the most economically important essential oil.
Continuing in the esteemed tradition of the previous volumes in the Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Series, Mint: The Genus Mentha presents an in-depth look at the genus, providing information on its history, production, chemical constituents, market trends, and medicinal and nutritional uses. Beginning with a review of the correct taxonomy and proper distillation and extraction methods, the text then expands on many detailed and complex aspects of the cultivation, processing, and quality assessment of the different types of mint.
Outlining recent studies on the biosynthesis and biotechnology of improved potential for oil production, the text also includes theoretical aspects of distillation used to achieve efficient and cost effective oil isolation. Variations in chemical components in oils, even within a given species, by regional or environmental circumstance is the focus of a large portion of this book. The influence of these quantitative differences is explored in chapters on characterization, selection, and quality control methods including gas chromatographic profiles. The practice of ameliorating these variations with diluted or adulterated blends to produce a consistent product characteristic is also evaluated. The final portion of the book examines the role mint plays in the pharmaceutical, personal and oral care, aromatherapy, and flavor industries including confections, tobacco, and alcohol.
With extensive information from internationally known experts in their field, Mint: The Genus Mentha is an invaluable companion for all those actively engaged in the research, cultivation, marketing, or product development of mint.
Table of Contents
Mentha: An Overview of its Classification and Relationships, Anatomy, Physiology, Biosynthesis, Molecular Biology, Tissue Culture and Biotechnology of Mint Essential Oil Production, Commercial Mint Species Grown in the United States, The Cultivation of Mints in India, Production of Mint in China, The Distillation of Mint Oils, The Composition of Commercially Important Mints, Oil Composition of the Other Mentha Species and Hybrids, World Production and Quality Control of Mint Oils and Their Commercially Important Isolates, Natural and Synthetic Menthol, The Genuineness of Mint Oils, Biological and Toxicological Properties of Mint Oils and Their Major Isolates: Safety Assessment, Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils and Constituents of Mentha Species, Mentha: Economic Uses
by "Nielsen BookData"