Comparative study of chemical composition and antioxidant activity of volatile oils extracted from Pimpinella anisum L. and Anethum graveolens L. fruits grown in Syria

Anise and Dill fruits both pants are grown in Damascus Countryside and Al-Ghab Plain in Syria. They are commonly used as spice, sedatives, and antispasmodics. The present study evaluated the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the volatile oils of Anise and Dill fruits. GC–MS Method was used to determine the constituents of volatile oils. The antioxidant activity of these volatile oils was also studied using the DPPH method. The main constituents of Anise fruits collected from Al-Ghab Plain were determined as Methyl chavicol, Anethole, ɣ-himachalene, β-bisabolene, Iso-eugenol, and Epoxy pseudo iso-eugenol. The major constituents of Dill volatile oil were D, L-limonene, L-carvone, and a small amount of Anethole. The volatile oil extracted from Dill fruits grown in Al-Ghab Plain showed lower phenolic content and higher antioxidant activity compared to the volatile oil extracted from Anise fruits grown in the same region, which have a high percentage of phenolic content (IC₅₀ = 0.8 mg/ml and IC₅₀ = 0.98 mg/ml, respectively).

Graphical Abstract