Lemon Lemon grass grass more commonly known in Jamaica as ‘Fever grass’ is a tall perennial grass known for its refreshing citrus aroma. Currently, lemon grass is not grown on a commercial scale in Jamaica, however it is a popular crop in countries such as Madagascar, Zambia, Guatemala, India, China, and Sri Lanka. Local manufacturers import the oil for preparation of aromatherapy products, candles, soaps and insect repellent sprays. Apart from the use of the leaves directly for the manufacture of food products, extracted essential oil and hydrosol can add an exciting dimension to this commodity.

Properties Properties of of Lemon Lemon Grass Grass Oil Oil

Jamaican lemon grass oil as an essential oil, is rich in citral (geranial and neral) and geraniol, important components in aromatherapy, personal care and other wellness products.

Chemical Components

% C.

flexuosus C.

citratus Citral 20.93 66.81

• Geranial 13.11 37.76 • Neral 7.82 29.05

Geraniol 61.98 6.27 Citronellal 2.00 0.11 Others 15.09 26.81

Gas Chromatogram of C. flexuosus

min 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

pA

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

FID1 B, (16 909 \SIG20621.D)

Myr

cene

R&

S C

itron

ella

l

Gam

ma

Terp

ineo

l

1.20

5 1.

321

1.38

8 1.

574

1.89

8

3.21

0 3.

354

3.67

2 3.

835

4.09

2 4.

400

5.88

8

6.38

1 6.

454 7.

194

7.31

7 7.

504

8.01

9

8.71

3 8.80

7 9.

191

9.80

9

10.5

95 11

.679

11

.996

N

eral

12.8

17

G

eran

iol

13.1

75

G

eran

ial

14.2

23

17.3

90

18.5

33

Market Market and and Production Production Information Information

Currently the world production of lemon grass oil is about 600 tonnes per annum. Western Europe and North America are the main buyers with North America representing about 33% of global demand and Japan accounting for 10%. During the period 1999-2005, the oil sold at an average of US$20 - 25/kg. Current prices for bulk lemon grass oil is US$28. In 2004 Jamaica imported 798 (kg) of the oil from the Netherlands and the US. Since then, a steady increase in demand has been noted. Growth in the health and wellness industry has significantly increased the demand for essential oils.

Market Market value value of of commodities commodities for for Jamaica’s Jamaica’s major major trading trading partners partners: :

• In 2005 the spa and wellness market of the USA was estimated to turn over just under US$9 billion.

• European and USA specialty food and drink sales are projected to be valued US$6.6 billion in 2009.

• Personal Care Products is a significant growth market that is projected to be worth approximately US$6 billion by 2010 in Europe and the USA.

Import/export Import/export trends trends show India to be the largest producer of lemon grass with about 80% of it exported. According to the ‘2008 JEA Market Brief On Essential Oils’ the USA, the largest importer of essential oils, imported US$7b in 2006 followed by the UK with US$4b. The value of essential oil entering the US in 2006 was over US$7b, a 21% increase between 2002 and 2006. The import of essential oil mixture for food and drinks was 44,565 tonnes valued at US$2b with an average unit price of US$46,543 per tonne. The UK imported 27,102 tonnes valued at US$632b

Economic Economic Information Information

Oil Oil - A one-acre farm can produce 14.32 kg of oil per harvest. Lemon grass can be harvested up to 4 times per year making it a total of 57.28 kg of oil per year. Current market price for lemon grass oil is US$66 per kg, allows this level of production to generate (US$66 x 57.28 kg) or US$3,780 (J$340,243) at an exchange rate of US$1.00: J$90.00.

Hydrosol Hydrosol (floral (floral water) water) – Simultaneously, the one- acre farm can produce 13,088 Kg of hydrosol per year. Current market price for hydrosol is US$3.80 per kg, allowing this level of production to generate (US$3.80 x 13,088 kg) or US$49,734 (J$4.48 million) at an exchange rate of US$1.00: J$90.00. An entrepreneur can therefore gross J$4.8 million from a one-acre farm annually. High quality commercial lemon grass oil is a viable proposition for the small and medium sized enterprises. Recommended acreage to support viable economic extraction of oil is 5 acres.

with an average unit price of US$23,326 per tonne. Ireland is one of the leading exporters of essential oil mixtures for food and drink.

Processing Processing Information Information

The diagram below gives a schematic presentation of oil extraction via distillation. Oil is mainly obtained through steam distillation of the dried material. The recovery of oil from local dried lemon grass is about 0.7 per cent. Hydrosol, a by- product of the process, can be used in cosmetic toiletries and herbal products. Zero waste processing can be realized as the spent leaves can be used in personal care products, animal feed and compost. Purification of the oil can be achieved by simple filtration. Extraction using the spinning cone column, available in Jamaica, employs a somewhat more sophisticated tech- nology. It is thought to be a very efficient extraction process which can be manipulated to produce specific profiles .

Essential Oil - Steam Distillation Process

Scientific Research Council©2009

Tel. (876) 927-1771-4 Fax (876) 977-1840 marketech@src-jamaica.org www.src-jamaica.org

Disclaimer The information presented here is provided for guidance purposes only. Producers of herbal ingredients and of finished consumer products that contain herbs are responsible for knowing, understanding, and conforming to all laws and regulations that are relevant to their businesses, and for implementing practices that may go beyond those described here, as needed. This document does not serve as a substitute for a grower’s or manufacturer’s need to be knowledgeable about the plants which they produce, extract or process. In addition, it does not address all of the needs of those who are producing crops that comply with organic agriculture or other specifically defined agricultural practices. In preparing this document, every effort was made to identify current prices and applications. Guidelines may be revised periodicallyas new information and technology develop.

Characteristics of Lemongrass oil Appearance Clear mobile liquid Odour Strong Lemon like Colour PaleY ellow Relative gravity 0.872 – 0.905 Refractive index 1.483 1.489 Optical rotation 3◦ +1◦