Using data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue petroleum collections, the state's Department of Commerce reported E85 sales in May grew 25 percent to 1.03 million gallons compared to 823,068 gallons in the same month last year.

The report said the average price of E85 in the first five months of the year was $2.78, representing a 63 cent discount to the average price of E10.

The lowest E85 price recorded in May, the Commerce Department reported, was $2.22 a gallon against at an average of $3.50 a gallon for E10.

The numbers at the end of May follows a similar growth rate that was recorded in the first quarter when E85 sales were up 41.8 percent.

On E15, the Department of Commerce reported a total volume of 57,611 gallons was sold in the first five months of the year, up 35 percent from total E15 sales for the whole of 2013.