Study of Physicochemical Properties, Antibacterial and GC-MS Analysis of Essential Oil of the Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum Linn.) in Oman.

Abstract

Aniseed plant (Pimpinella anisum Linn.) is a flowering medicinal plant and are annual important spices belonging to the family of Apiaceae native to eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum Linn.) essential oil has been widely used in aromatherapy for breathing difficulties as well as has a good effect on asthma as a natural asthma remedy. Aim The aim of the project is to extract essential oil present in Saunf (aniseed). Objective The main objective of the present study was focused on identification and quantification of chemical constituents present in the essential oil of aniseed by GC-MS methods. Essential oils may be defined as volatile odoriferous oils of vegetables origin. Essential oils are aromatic substances widely used in the Perfume industry, Food and Flavoring, Cosmetics, and Pharmaceutical Products. Aniseed plant (Pimpinella anisum) is an annual belonging to the family Apiaceae . It is a colorless or pale-yellow liquid having the characteristic odor and taste of the fruit. Methods In this study the essential oil of aniseed was extracted by steam distillation. Many chemical constituents were found by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GS-MS) analysis from the essential oil of aniseed. It is highly soluble in organic solvent. In addition, the extracted aniseed oil was tested for antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Result: The essential oil showed resistance properties on E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella; however aniseed oil was not particularly inhibitory to bacteria. The antioxidant activity was assessed by the DPPH free radical scavenging method. The total phenolic content was determined with the Folin Ciocalteu Reagent (FCR).Refractive index was calculated (1.4765).