Essential Oil Content and Composition of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) Fruits at Different Stages of Development

This study was carried out at Sadra Experiment Station, Shiraz, Iran to determine the changes in the content and chemical compositions of essential oil from fennel fruits at three different growth stages including pasty, waxy, and full ripening containing 70, 52, and 10 % moisture, respectively. The essential oils of dried fruits were extracted by hydrodistillation method using Clevenger apparatus, and analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil content of fruits were 1.31, 1.18, and 1.26 %, at pasty, waxy and full ripening stages, respectively. The main oil components at different fruit maturity stages were found to be trans-anethol (84.1 -86.1 %), fenechone (7.13 – 8.86 %), limonene (3.0 – 3.3 %), and methyl chavicol (2.5 – 2.7 %).