Leveraging Mint Characteristics for Any Application

Understanding all the nuances of peppermint allows for beautiful combinations with fruit flavors, like strawberry, pineapple, mango and peach.

Mint’s cool and refreshing sensory profile is often associated with oral and personal care products, as well as chewing gum and confections. And while these may be the most common applications, they are only the beginning. A deep understanding of the fundamental differences between mint varieties can unlock mint’s creative potential for innovative and delightful solutions.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

Peppermint is primarily grown in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and is characterized by its candy cane sweetness, freshness and creamy character. The chemical composition of peppermint is primarily driven by the cooling attributes of l-menthol, the minty body of l-menthone and the floral overtones of menthyl acetate. Menthofuran rounds out its sweetness and naturally oxidizes into mint lactone and dihydromint lactone to enhance the overall creaminess and give the oil a coumarin note. 

For the full article, please check out the Perfumer & Flavorist+ May 2022 issue.