Seasonal variation in essential oil content and chemical profile of mint in southeast of Brazil

• Published in: Ciência Rural
• Main Authors: Joyce Pereira Alvarenga, Andreísa Flores Braga, Fernanda Ventorim Pacheco, Alexandre Alves de Carvalho, José Eduardo Brasil Pereira Pinto, Suzan Kelly Vilela Bertolucci
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria 2021-07-01
• Subjects: medicinal plant; Mentha x piperita; Mentha viridis; menthol; linalool
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-84782021001100401&tlng=en

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the influence of seasonality in essential oil (EO) chemical composition of Mentha x piperita L. and Mentha viridis L. grown in southeast of Brazil. Leaves were collected from November 2011 until August 2013, in the middle of the following seasons: Spring (November), Summer (February), Autumn (May) and Winter (August). EO extraction was carried out by hydrodistillation in Clevenger apparatus for 1 hour. Chemical composition of EO was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The EO content and its chemical composition were influenced by seasonality in both species. The highest EO content was obtained for M. x piperita during spring (4.26%) and for M. viridis during spring (3.30%) and summer (3.70%). Mentha x piperita increased menthol (16.31 to 41.26%), neomenthol (3.02 to 6.39%) and menthone (5.56 to 41.58%) contents during spring and summer, respectively. Whereas, M. viridis EO content did not show a quality response pattern in relation to seasonality. Therefore, harvest time for M. x piperita is recommended during spring, and for M. viridis is recommended during spring and summer.