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 he oil obtained from dried fruits were trans-a nethole (93.9%) and estragole (2.4%). The olfactorially valuable constituents that were found with concentration higher than 0.06% were (E)-methyeugenol, α-cuparene, α-himachalene, β-bisabolene, p-anisaldehyde and cis-anethole. Also, the different concentrations of anise oil exerted varying levels of inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth off/ ternaria 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.