Development of a fully water-dilutable mint concentrate based on a food-approved microemulsion

Abstract

Mentha spicata L. disappears in winter. The lack of fresh mint during the cold season can be a limiting factor for the preparation of mint tea. A fresh taste source that can be kept during winter is mint essential oil. As the oil is not soluble in water, a food-approved, water-soluble essential oil microemulsion was studied, investigating different surfactants, in particular Tween® 60. The challenge was to dissolve an extremely hydrophobic essential oil in a homogeneous, stable, transparent, and spontaneously forming solution of exclusively edible additives without adulterating the original fresh taste of the mint. Making use of the microemulsions' water and oil pseudo-phases, hydrophilic sweeteners and hydrophobic dyes could be incorporated to imitate mint leaf infusions aromatically and visually. The resulting formulation was a concentrate, consisting of ∼ 90% green components, which could be diluted with water or tea to obtain a beverage with a pleasant minty taste.

Keywords: Acesulfame Potassium (PubChem CID: 11074431); Aspartame (PubChem CID: 134601); Chlorophyll (PubChem CID: 16667503); Essential oil; Ethanol (PubChem CID: 702); Food-approved microemulsions; Mentha spicata L.; O/W microemulsions; Paprika Oleoresin (PubChem CID: 11980947); Polysorbate 60 (PubChem CID: 91667948); Sodium N-Cyclohexylsulfamate (PubChem CID: 23665706); Sweetening and coloring additives.