| Abstrakt: |
Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) oil yield and composition from miniature research distillation equipment were compared to that from large commercial distilleries. The mini-stills process small, 4 kg samples in contrast to the 8 Mg tubs used by industry. Experimental samples were collected from a 0.81 ha field of peppermint, cultivar ‘Black Mitcham,’ prior to harvest in 1992 and 1993 at 38 and 59 locations, respectively. In 1992, the mean oil yield of the samples (48.2 kg/ha) agreed closely with the whole-field yield (46.3 kg/ha). The samples had a high coefficient of variability (CV) in dry matter (33 percent) and oil yield (25 percent). In 1993, mean oil yield (61.4 kg/ha) also agreed closely with the whole-field yield (61.9 kg/ha). The average 1992 oil constituents for all 38 samples were compared against a composite of the same samples and against the single whole-field measurement from the large distillery. Unlike yield, oil composition was different between the whole field and small samples, and may have been due to dissimilarities in the time between harvest and distillation, the presence or absence of chopping, distillation protocol, and/or still size. Implications for interpretation of results from ministills are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
