Corn mint

Source Formic acid naturally occurs in carrots, soybean roots, carob, yarrow, aloe, Levant berries, bearberries, wormwood, ylang-ylang, celandine, jimsonweed, water mint, apples, tomatoes, bay leaves, common juniper, ginkgo, scented boronia, corn mint, European pennyroyal, and bananas (Duke, 1992). 

Menthol is the principal component of Japanese peppermint oil. In Japan it has been obtained since the 17th century from corn mint (Mentha arvensis L.) (Fig. 3.25). Important areas of cultivation are at present in India, China, Japan,... 

Menthol from natural sources is obtained predominantly from the essential oil of corn mint Mentha arvensis), which is produced by steam distillation or a distdlation/extraction procedure using supercritical carbon dioxide cf. section 5.11 Caffeine). The menthol is frozen out and the crystalline mass centrifuged. Traces of impurities confer a slightly minty aroma to natural menthol. 

Based on the intake of corn mint oil (3942 pg/day), any constituent present at greater than 0.038%... 

In corn mint oil, the principal congeneric group is composed of terpene alicyclic secondary alcohols, ketones, and related esters, as represented by the presence of (-)-menthol, (-)-menthone, (+)-isom-enthone, (-)-menthyl acetate, and other related substances. Samples of triple-distilled commercial... 

Safety Evaluation of Corn Mint Oil, Mentha arvensi ... 

Based on daily per capita intake of 3942 pg/person/day for corn mint oil. 

Based on the aforementioned assessment and the application of the scienti c judgment, corn mint oil is concluded to be GRAS under conditions of intended use as a avoring substance. Given the criteria used in the evaluation, recommended speci cations should include the following chemical assay ... 

The oil from corn mint is up to 85% (-)-menthol. It occurs naturally in peppermint oil. The ability of menthol to chemically trigger the cold-sensitive receptors in the skin is responsible for the well-known cooling sensation it provokes when inhaled, eaten, or applied to the skin. 

Many monoterpenes have found application in perfumery, aromatherapy, as cosmetics and insecticides. Menthol, a constituent of essential oils from Mentha species, is the most widely used monoterpene. It is contained in pharmaceuticals, oral health care products, chewing gums, and tobacco products (Croteau et al., 2005). More than 7,000 t of menthol are produced every year either by total synthesis or from the steam-distilled essential oil of corn-mint Mentha arvensis var. piperascens). The cooling sensation stimulated by menthol is caused by excitation of cation channels that serve as thermal receptors (Jordt et al, 2003). 

By far the most significant sources of menthone are the dementhohzed oils from corn-mint and peppermint. Synthetic material is available from oxidation of menthol, from carene (Fig. 8.35) and from hydrogenation of thymol (317), but this accounts for only 30 of the 1330 tonnes of menthone produced annually (316). Menthone is used in mint reconstitutions and to some extent in other essential oil reconstitutions and perfumes. 

Volatile oils obtained from peppermint, corn-mint, and other mint species have antimicrobial, antimalarial and antigiradial activities in vitro. Peppermint extracts have been reported to have antiviral activities against Newcastle disease, herpes simplex, vaccinia, Sem-liki Forest, and West Nile viruses in egg and cell culture systems (see babn) The ethyl acetate extract of Moroccan M. longifolia was also found to possess inhibitory activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. ... 

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