ANISE Pimpinella anisum

According to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, Kew), in the extract read on 21 September 2026, Pimpinella anisum L. is a name of rank “Species” with the status “Accepted”, placed in the family Apiaceae. According to Alomar et al. (2022), anethole, written “anethole (92.41%)”, is the major constituent of the P. anisum essential oil they analysed by GC-MS. In the oil studied by Fitsiou et al. (2016), 47 compounds were identified for anise (Pimpinella anisum).

Which name is accepted for Pimpinella anisum?

The WCVP record of Pimpinella anisum L. carries the identifier 2402426.

Which fruits of Pimpinella anisum did Alomar et al. (2022) distil, and how?

According to Alomar et al. (2022), the three fruits studied, including those of P. anisum, were purchased from Egypt’s local market in January 2022 and verified by the herbaria of the Faculty of Science of Cairo University and of the National Research Center (NRC). The voucher specimens “CM-1, AN-1, and CR-1” are kept in the herbarium of the Pharmacognosy department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Future University in Egypt. The dried fruits (“Dried fruits”) of C. cyminum, P. anisum and C. carvi were hydrodistilled for 5 h according to the method described in the European Pharmacopoeia, in a Clevenger apparatus, with a plant:water ratio of 1:3 (w/v). The oily phases were separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and kept for further study. The yield of essential oil from the P. anisum fruits is written “(0.9%)”, the percentage being calculated from the volume (mL) of essential oil per 100 g of the studied plant. All the essential oils extracted from the fruits of the three species had a “golden yellowish” colour and “distinct aromatic fragrances”; the source gives this for the three oils together.

How did Alomar et al. (2022) analyse the oil of Pimpinella anisum?

According to Alomar et al. (2022), the GC-MS analysis followed the approach proposed by Elkady et al. and used an Rtx-5MS capillary column (30 m × 0.25 mm i.d. × 0.25 µm film thickness; Restek). The injector was at 250 °C and the carrier gas, helium, flowed at a constant 1.41 mL/min. Samples were injected diluted (1% v/v), with a split ratio of 15:1 and an injected volume of 1 μL. The mass spectrometer parameters were: interface at 280 °C, ion source at 200 °C, EI mode at 70 eV, scan range 35–500 amu. Components were identified by retention indices and by matching mass spectra against the NIST-11 and Wiley libraries and published data; retention indices (RI) were computed against a homologous series of n-alkanes (C8-C28) run under the same conditions. According to the note to Table 1, compounds were identified by the Kováts index and mass spectral data, by comparison with values reported in the literature; the RI exp column gives the Kovats index determined experimentally against C8–C28 n-alkanes, and the RI rep column gives reported Kovats retention indices.

Which compounds does Table 1 of Alomar et al. (2022) list for Pimpinella anisum?

In Table 1 of Alomar et al. (2022), the column headed “P. anisum” (isolated essential oil) carries the values below for a single result; the header gives no unit, and the source does not say which kind of percentage they are.

Under the table heading “1- Monoterpenoids”:

• “Limonene”: 1.57, with an RI exp of 1027.
• “trans-β-Ocimene”: 0.22, with an RI exp of 1034.
• “Anethole”: 92.41; the source does not state the isomer.
• “Estragole”: 3.01, with an RI exp of 1197; the “References” cell of this row is empty.

Under the table heading “2- Sesquiterpenoids”:

• “β-Chamigrene”: 0.20, with an RI exp of 1478.
• “Zingiberene”: 0.26, with an RI exp of 1494.
• “β-Himachalene”: 0.10, with an RI exp of 1505.
• “Longifolene”: 2.11, with an RI exp of 1532.

The text of the article writes “anethole (92.41%)” for the major constituent, without saying which kind of percentage this is.

Which seeds of Pimpinella anisum did Fitsiou et al. (2016) distil, and how?

According to Fitsiou et al. (2016), seeds (“Seeds”) of Pimpinella anisum, collected during mid-summer (“mid-summer”), were directly treated and processed for hydrodistillation; the source does not say whether they were fresh or dry. In their conclusion, the authors state that the four aromatic plants studied, including Pimpinella anisum, were “all grown in Greece”. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation at the “VIORYL facilities”. “In all cases”, hydrodistillation took place immediately after the harvesting period (“respecting seasonality restrictions”); the authors give as their aim that the plants, seeds and fruit peels would provide the most of their essential oil. Hydrodistillation was carried out in a Dean Stark apparatus, the material being placed with 6 L of distilled water, and the essential oil was isolated after hydrodistillation (8 h). After decantation, the essential oils were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, and the samples, dried with Na2SO4, were collected in sealed vials for further use.

How did Fitsiou et al. (2016) analyse the oils?

According to Fitsiou et al. (2016), GC/MS analysis was carried out on a GC-MS (GC: 6890A and MSD: 5973, Agilent Technologies) with a Factor Four VF 1 ms column (25 m, 0.2 mm i.d., 0.33 μm film thickness). The essential oil (0.1 μL) was injected directly, with a split ratio of 1:100. The oven was set at 50 °C for 1 min, followed by a gradient of 2.5 °C/min to 160 °C, then 50 °C/min to 250 °C. The carrier gas was helium (flow rate 1 mL/min); the injector and transfer line were set at 200 °C and 250 °C respectively. The mass spectrometer operated in electron impact mode at 70 eV, and compounds were identified by the standard method of Kováts indices. Table 1 gives the compounds identified by GC/MS in the essential oil volatiles with their relative percent area (“relative percent (%) area”); the asterisk of the KRI column refers to “Kováts Retention Indices”.

Which compounds does Table 1 of Fitsiou et al. (2016) list for Pimpinella anisum?

For anise (Pimpinella anisum), Fitsiou et al. (2016) identified 47 compounds. In the column “Pimpinella anisum (% Area)” of Table 1 (oil hydrodistilled from the seeds), the rows below carry relative peak-area percentages for a single oil, not mass contents; these values belong to this study alone and are not combined with those of Alomar et al. (2022). “Trace” is written as the table writes it; the source does not define its threshold.

• “α-Pinene”, KRI 922: 0.081.
• “Sabinene”, KRI 953: 0.060.
• “β-Pinene”, KRI 958: 0.054.
• “Myrcene”, KRI 973: 0.010.
• “α-Phellandrene”, KRI 981: 0.089.
• “p-Cymene”, KRI 1004: 0.088.
• “β-Phellandrene”, KRI 1004: 0.016; its KRI is the same as that given for “p-Cymene”.
• “Limonene”, KRI 1011: 0.035.
• “cis-Ocimene”, KRI 1016: 0.016.
• “trans-Ocimene”, KRI 1018: “Trace”.
• “γ-Terpinene”, KRI 1030: 0.034.
• “Epoxylinalool I”, KRI 1049: “Trace”.
• “Dehydro-p-cymene”, KRI 1062: 0.013.
• “Terpinolene”, KRI 1070: 0.046.
• “Linalol” (the table’s spelling), KRI 1086: 0.278.
• “Camphor”, KRI 1108: 0.022.
• “p-vinylanisole”, KRI 1118: 0.017.
• “Borneol”, KRI 1138: “Trace”.
• “p-Cymenol”, KRI 1151: 0.016.
• “α-Terpineol”, KRI 1168: 0.012.
• “Epoxyphellandrene”, KRI 1171: “Trace”.
• “Methyl chavicol” (the table’s name), KRI 1177: 1.525.
• “Anisaldehyde”, KRI 1207: 0.545.
• “cis-Anethole”, KRI 1218: 0.435.
• “δ-Elemene”, KRI 1327: 0.149.
• “Anisyl methyl ketone”, KRI 1339: 0.025.
• “α-Longipinene”, KRI 1339: 0.061.
• “Cyclosativene”, KRI 1357: 0.041.
• “Ylangene”, KRI 1360: 0.050.
• “β-Bourbonene”, KRI 1371: 0.033.
• “β-Elemene”, KRI 1378: 0.098.
• “Methoxypropiophenone”, KRI 1402: 0.048.
• “a Farnesene” (written so by the source), KRI 1427: 0.054.
• “α-Himachalene”, KRI 1431: 0.381.
• “Dehydro-neo-isolongifolene”, KRI 1443: 0.079.
• “Methyl-isoeugenol”, KRI 1446: 0.088.
• “ar-Curcumene”, KRI 1460: 0.091.
• “Zingiberene”, KRI 1478: 0.570.
• “β-Chimachalene” (written so by the source), KRI 1481: 0.243.
• “Myristicin”, KRI 1487: 0.045.
• “β-Bisabolene”, KRI 1492: 0.473.
• “Calamenene”, KRI 1496: 0.019.
• “δ-Cadinene”, KRI 1504: 0.091.
• “α-Calacorene”, KRI 1516: “Trace”.

Which ISO standards bear on the essential oil of Pimpinella anisum L.?

According to the ISO catalogue for classification ICS 71.100.60, the standard ISO 3475:2020 is titled “Essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.)” and stands at stage “90.93”. In the same catalogue, the standard ISO 3475:1975 “Oil of aniseed” is marked “Withdrawn”, at stage “95.99”. The standard ISO 3475:2002 “Oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.)” is also marked “Withdrawn”, at stage “95.99”.

Which hazards are documented for the oil of Pimpinella anisum?

References

• Govaerts R. (ed.), World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — https://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/wcvp.zip
• Alomar H.A., Fathallah N., Abdel-Aziz M.M., Ibrahim T.A., Elkady W.M., « GC-MS Profiling, Anti-Helicobacter pylori, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Three Apiaceous Fruits’ Essential Oils », Plants 2022;11(19):2617, doi:10.3390/plants11192617 — https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC9570728/fullTextXML
• Fitsiou E., Mitropoulou G., Spyridopoulou K., Tiptiri-Kourpeti A., Vamvakias M., Bardouki H., Panayiotidis M.I., Galanis A., Kourkoutas Y., Chlichlia K., Pappa A., « Phytochemical Profile and Evaluation of the Biological Activities of Essential Oils Derived from the Greek Aromatic Plant Species Ocimum basilicum, Mentha spicata, Pimpinella anisum and Fortunella margarita », Molecules 2016;21(8):1069, doi:10.3390/molecules21081069 — https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC6274325/fullTextXML
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO), online catalogue, ICS 71.100.60 « Essential oils », archived copy of 19/03/2026 (Internet Archive) — https://web.archive.org/web/20260319152944id_/https://www.iso.org/ics/71.100.60/x/