Fennel oil is an essential oil derived from fennel seeds. First obtained in the middle of the XVI century. . Fennel water, however, was known much earlier, and its properties and methods of preparation are described in Op. Brunswig's βLiber de arte distilandiβ (1500). Fennel itself, as a spicy plant, was known and used by the Chinese , Indians, and Egyptians from time immemorial and up to the Middle Ages was more widespread than anise .
Content
Getting
Fennel oil is extracted exclusively by water distillation. Fennel seeds are not crushed before distillation, but only soaked in warm water for 12-24 hours . At the same time, steam or water distillation is used, it is convenient to use cubes with mechanical mixers that do not allow small fennel seeds to clump.
Fennel oils are obtained in Macedonia , Romania , southern Germany , Saxony , France , northern Italy , Japan and India . In Russia , almost no oil is produced. The oil of each of these countries has its own characteristics, which is explained by the difference in the varieties of fennel cultivated there. The yields of oil are also varied for the same reason: Macedonian and Romanian fennel produces oils of 3.5-4.5%, French - about 3%, and Russian - 4.8%.
Physical Properties
At room temperature, fennel oil is a colorless or slightly colored liquid with a peculiar smell and a bitter-sweet taste . The proportion of oil in most cases varies between 0.965 and 0.975, but there are also significant deviations. A good oil should solidify at + 3 Β°, + 6 Β°.
Chemical Composition
As for the chemical composition of the oil, the main component is anethole (50-60%), the most characteristic is fencon - ketone , discovered by Wallach and Hartmann in 1890 . Fennel oil contains pinene and dipentene . In addition, as in any oil containing anethole , this phenol is accompanied by products of its oxidation : anisic aldehyde and anisic acid . In addition to the listed components, in the French oil Tardi found methylhavicol and fellandren . The cymol found by the same author was probably formed during the chemical operations that the oil underwent during the study. The purity of the oil is determined by its freezing point and specific gravity . The isolation of part of anethole from the oil lowers the pour point, and the addition of turpentine lowers the specific gravity .
Application
Residues from the production of fennel oil are a good feed, as they contain about 14-22% protein and 12-19% fat . Fennel oil is most used in the preparation of toilet soap , in addition, it is also used in liquor .
Literature
- Fennel oil // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 tons (82 tons and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.