Mentha piperita L. Micropropagation and the Potential Influence of Plant Growth Regulators on Volatile Organic Compound Composition

Due to the industrial use of Mentha piperita L. (peppermint), it is important to develop an optimal method to obtain standardized plant material with specific quality parameters. In vitro cultures may allow the production of desirable odor-active compounds (OACs) and improve their share in the plant aroma profile. There are two types of explants that are commonly used, apical meristems and nodal segments. In this study, the best overall effects were shown to be produced by the combination of MS medium with the addition of 0.5 mg·dm(−3) indolyl-3-butyric acid. In this case, a very high degree of rooting was found (97% for apical meristems, 100% for nodal meristems), lateral shoots were induced in 83% of both types of explant, and the content of OACs in the plant aroma profile increased significantly, especially menthofurolactone and cis-carvone oxide, responsible in this case for a characteristic mint-like aroma. The comparison of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) obtained from plants of different origin by GC-MS showed no significant differences in their qualitative composition. Moreover, in-vitro-cultivated peppermint on a medium containing 0.5 mg·dm(−3) 2-isopentinloadenine and 0.1 mg·dm(−3) indolyl-3-acetic acid showed significant amounts of menthofurolactone in its VOC composition.