Development of Methodology for molecular crystallization of Menthol

Ayesha Mushtaq; Muhammad Asif Hanif; Raziya Nadeem; Zahid Mushtaq

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38394

Development of Methodology for molecular crystallization of Menthol

Heliyon. 2024 Sep 25;10(19):e38394. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38394. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.

Authors

Ayesha Mushtaq¹, Muhammad Asif Hanif¹, Raziya Nadeem¹, Zahid Mushtaq²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan.
² Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan.

Abstract

Menthol, terpene alcohol with a strong minty, cooling odor and taste is highly popular in food, flavor, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Crystallization of menthol from mint oil is a tedious process involving high cost and a much longer period. The present study has been undertaken to devise a new method with low input and with higher production rates. The crystallization of menthol was performed by the methods including Temperature programmed cooling process (TPCP); Short-path molecular fractional distillation (SPMFD) and Stripping crystallization (SC). About 99 % menthol contained in the mint oil was recovered during the crystallization process. The characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for surface morphology, x-ray diffraction (XRD) for crystal structure and crystallite size evaluation, and FTIR and Raman spectroscopy for analyzing the chemical nature of the crystals.

Keywords: Crystallization; Crystals; Flavor; Food; Menthol; Method development; Mint.