Aniseed information

Source: Pimpinella anisum L. (Syn. Anisum vulgare Gaertn.; Anisum officinarum Mönch; Apiumanisum(L.) Crantz; Carumanisum(L.) Baill.; Selinum anisum(L.) E.H.L. Krause; Pimpinella anisum (var.) cultum Alef; Sison anisum Spreng.; Tragium anisum Link).

Family: Apiaceae (= Umbelliferae)

Synonyms: Aniseed, Anis seed, Anis, Anise, Sweet cumin
Parts used: Seeds (fruits), oil
Classification:
Division: Spermatophyta
Subdivision: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliospida
Subclass: Rosidae

Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Pimpinella3

Anise is an annual plant that reaches an average height of 30-50 cm. The plant is completely covered with fine hairs. The root is thin and spindle-shaped, the stemup, stalkround, grooved and branched upward. In midsummer the thin stems are topped with umbrella-shaped clusters of tiny white flowers, which are heavy enough to make the stems flop. They turn into seedlike fruits. Anise is a cross-pollinating species and is genetically heterogeneous. The fruit is an ovoid-pearshaped schizokarp somewhat compressed at the side. The two-part fruits separate heavily. The carpophore is almost two-piece up to the base. Commercially available aniseed usually contains the whole fruits and occasionally parts of the fruitstalk. The fruits with the style-foot are 3-5mm long, 1.5-2.5mm wide and 2-4mm thick. Vittae (oil ducts) are almost always present embedded in the fruit wall on the dorsal surface, sometimes in or directly beneath the ridges. The fruits are downy. Their colour is greyish-green to greyish-brown.

Anise contains:

• 1-4% volatile oil
• coumarins: bergapten, umbelliprenine, umbelliferone, scopoletin
• ca. 8-16% lipids, including fatty acids: 50-70% petroselinic acid (C18:1), 22-28% oleic acid (C18:1), 5-9% linoleic acid (C18:2) and 5-10% saturated fatty acids mostly palmitic acid (C16:0)
• beta-amyrin, and stigmasterol and its salts (palmitate and stearate)
• flavonoid glycosides: quercetin-3-glucuronide, rutin, luteolin-7-glucoside, isoorientin, isovitexin, apigenin-7-glucoside (apigetrin) etc.
• myristicin
• ca. 18% protein
• ca. 50% carbohydrate and others

Fatty acids can be obtained by extraction, as in the case of caraway, in the remainders of oil extraction via steam distillation. Lauric acid, which is most important to oleochemistry, is obtained from petroselinic acid which is found in high quantities (50-70%) in anise. Fatty oil shows excellent future potential. Successful production of anise seed for economical oil production would probably occur if the seed yields could be improved significantly, and high content of oil and essential oils and large quantity of petroselinic acids could be reached.