With a few changes, commercial mint growers could utilize the same production, harvesting, and processing equipment for this new crop. Although potential yields already look promising, a number of problems must be resolved. For example, optimum harvest time and method must be determined. Another problem that now must be overcome is in the actual extraction of the methyl cinnamate. As the concentration of methyl cinnamate sky-rocketed upward in the improved chemotypes, the ability to separate the methyl cinnamate from the distillate water became more difficult.
Research is underway to increase methyl cinnamate recovery.
The incorporation of a secondary extraction process coupled to the steam disitllation process would permit the redistillation of the distillate water that contains the unseparated methyl cinnamate. Development of such a process would also be useful to mint growers to improve recovery of peppermint oil. Basil appears an ideally suited addition to the state's current peppermint and spearmint growers seeking to diversify their agricultural crop base. Progress is being made in other types of basil which contain essential oils of industrial value, including methyl chavicol, linalool, camphor, citral, and eugenol. As a spinoff to these studies we have developed a basil with a strong lemon aroma, through several selection cycles, that has potential as a new ornamental culinary herb.