MENTHOL: A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN A DYNAMIC MARKET
Symrise is the world market leader for nature-identical l-Menthol, a key raw material used in the consumer goods and pharmaceuticals industries. In 2010 the company began to expand production capacity in Holzminden with the aim of strengthening its leadership in this market segment and ensuring that the raw material will be available for strategically important products. The project demonstrates that sustainability also plays an important role in the manufacturing of synthesized products.
Menthol is a modern raw material – and at the same time, one with a long history. Excavations in Egypt have revealed that the peppermint plant was known as long ago as 1,000 BC. In Japan and China, mint oil and menthol appear to have been used for medicinal purposes as early as 2,000 years ago. The Pharmacopeia Augustana, a collection of medicinal remedies that appeared in 1696, provides the first evidence that the healing properties of "Oleum Menthae" were also applied in Europe – and show that mint and menthol, its main component, had arrived in the modern era and in medical science.
The use of menthol made a quantum leap in the middle of the 20th century, when it began to appear in many everyday products. Since that time, its strong, pleasantly minty taste and its cooling and circulation-enhancing properties have made it popular for industrial use. "The demand for menthol has been growing at a double-digit rate for years," says Dr. Norbert Richter, Senior Vice President of Symrise's Aroma Molecules business unit, explaining the importance of menthol. "And the enormous demand on the world market cannot be met by natural mint alone."
Freshness in demand
Today menthol is one of the world's most important raw materials for fragrances and flavorings. It is found in cosmetics, shampoo and shower gel, peps up sweets such as chewing gum and candy, and lends its powers to pharmaceutical products such as cough syrup, sport rubs and sauna fragrances. The freshness of menthol is in demand – and today this demand is largely met by the nature-identical l-Menthol, which is produced, for example, by Symrise in Holzminden, Germany and Bushy Park, USA.
The synthetic l-Menthol is chemically identical to natural menthol obtained from Mentha arvensis. Industrial production of the raw material has only been possible since 1973, when Symrise predecessor Haarmann & Reimer first succeeded in fully synthesizing the substance. Dr. Richter says, "Today our l-Menthol has the highest level of purity. It offers consistent quality and optimal safety. Our backward integration into menthol, a key raw ingredient, secures Symrise's independence in terms of delivery capacity, quality and price and places us in a strong position."
Research for an optimal energy balance
Today, the production of high-quality nature-identical menthol is a highly efficient operation. Dr. Richter explains: "Our more than 35 years' experience in the production of menthol helps us to continually improve our processes. We have a self-contained production cycle that can be controlled precisely and yields extremely high amounts of I-Menthol. Almost no water is consumed and no wastewater produced."
Symrise conducted extensive research and development for building of the facility. The goal: to cut the use of energy in production by as much as possible and further improve the space-time-yield. "Comprehensive mathematical model simulations will allow us to continue our optimizations in the future. The new menthol production will take advantage of completely innovative and unique technologies," says Dr. Richter, looking forward to the new facility.
Advantages for product and workforce
However, efficiency and pioneering production equipment are not all that count – the end product menthol is important. The new plant will optimize the availability of menthol independent of the fluctuations in supply and price that are typical for natural menthol. It also will ensure that customers and consumers receive the best and most consistent quality of l-Menthol. And finally, the menthol project represents an intelligent investment in the production site. Dr. Richter sums up the advantages of the new facility: "The design breaks new ground in energy efficiency; we are creating new jobs as well as training opportunities for our employees – this entrepreneurial approach puts us on the right course for the future."
