Chemical composition and antifungal effect of anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) fruit oil at ripening stage

The composition of the essential oil of Pimpinella anisum L fruit is determined by GC and GC-MS. The volatile oil content obtained by hydrodistillation was 1.91%. Ten compounds representing 98.3% of the oil was identified. The main constituents of the oil obtained from dried fruits were trans-anethole (93.9%) and estragole (2.4%). The olfactorially valuable constituents that were found with concentration higher than 0.06% were (E)-methyeugenol, alpha-cuparene, alpha-himachalene, beta-bisabolene, p-anisaldehyde and cis-anethole. Also, the different concentrations of anise oil exerted varying levels of inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus parasiticus used in experimental. The results showed that the most effected fungus from anise oil was A. parasiticus, which is followed by A. niger and A. alternata. Individual of this plant oil may provide a useful to achive adequate shelf-life of foods.