Analysis of Volatile Components on Champagne Peppermint and Japanese Peppermint Stem and Leaf Tissues

The purpose of this research was to distinguish the differences in volatile components on champagne peppermint and Japanese peppermint stem and leaf tissues. In this research, the volatile components were isolated and identified by the gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) technology. By performing the principal components analysis, the result of the experiment suggested that 172 volatile components were detected and 41 volatile components were identified in the two kinds of peppermint, mainly including alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, furans, esters and terpenes. In the champagne peppermint, 113 volatile components of stems and leaves were detected and 30 volatile components were identified. The characteristic components in the leaves of champagne peppermint were 3-Octanol, 18-Cineole, linalool, E-2-hexen-1-ol, 2-Heptanone, etc, while those in the stems of champagne peppermint were Butan-2, 3-dione, etc. In the Japanese peppermint, 137 volatile components were detected, and 38 volatile components were identified. The characteristic components in the leaves of Japanese peppermint were 3-Octanol, 1-Octen-3-ol, 3-Octanone, Ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, linalool, butanal, α-Pinene, 1-pentanol, etc, while those in the leaves of Japanese peppermint were ethyl acetate, 2-Pentylfuran, amyl acetate, 2-nonanone, isobutyl acetate, etc. Comparing the leaves and stems of two kinds of peppermint, it was found that the Butan-2, 3-dione was the unique component in the leaves of champagne peppermint and 2-Nonanone, 2-Pentylfuran, Ethyl hexanoate and butyl acetate were unique components in the stems of Japanese peppermint, but not in champagne peppermint. The result suggested that the characteristic components in the stem and leaf tissue of each peppermint could be clearly distinguished. Thus, the result can provide a theoretical basis for the application of peppermint in the extraction of essential oils, flavors and fragrances, condiments, tea beverages and other processing raw materials in the future. Moreover, it can also accurately locate the use of volatile components in different parts of peppermint, and identify the peppermint varieties.