MAXIMIZATION OF ESSENTIAL OIL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY VIA STAR ANISE HYDRODISTILLATION

Chinese star anise essential oil (EO) is prized for its pleasant aroma and mainly due to its antioxidant capacity (AC), which can combat cancer and treat neurodegenerative diseases. This study shows the innovative approach of optimizing not only EO yield, but also to therapeutic activity. The product obtained follows the principle of the Pure Food and Drug Act and of eco-friendly technology. Also, the best analytical control methodology of the active principle during industrial production was also defined. The AC was found to be dependent on the extraction conditions, and the best antioxidant performance was reported after 3h of hydrodistillation time, using 500 mL distilled water and 8% dry fruits whose granulometry was inferior to 425 mu m. Although all four analytical methodologies used for assessing AC are precise, they cannot be correlated. The antioxidant potential was 59.6 +/- 1.1 mg GAE/g EO for TP; 14.3 +/- 0.5 mmol TEAC/g EO for FRAP; 25.7 +/- 0.8 mmol TEAC/g EO for ABTS and 23.5 +/- 0.3 mmol TEAC/g EO for DPPH. The EO exhibited better AC than the trans-anethole and D-limonene standards, suggesting a positive synergistic effect. The DPPH method exhibited a good coefficient of determination (R-2=0.9311) and has the advantage of using a solvent compatible with the EO.