The Study On The Chemical Composition Of The Shell And Seeds In Star Anise

Illicium verum, is a member of Illicium Linn which belongs to the family of Magnoliaceae. It is used both food flavoring and medicine. The Star anise oil has a very high value. The Star anise is the most important natural sources of Shikimic acid which is the main component of an important antidote on the bird flu. There are many researches on Star anise, but few are studying on the difference between shell and seeds. The research on the shell and seeds as well as their difference has been carried out.In the thesis, the best condition of extracting the Star anise is:Shell, mesh number (40 mesh), soak time (5.5 h), extraction time (10 h). Seeds, mesh number (30 mesh), soak time (7 h), extraction time(11h). The yield is 9.8% and 4.43%. The result of IR and GC-MS has shown the chemical composition existed in the oil of both shell and seeds.Two compounds have been isolated from the Star anise oil by Chromatography and TLC. They are characterized by the physical and chemical properties, IR, 1H-NMR,13C-NMR. They are Anethole (83.1%), Anisic aldehyde.The optimum extraction condition of the content of Shikimic acid from Star anise shell and seeds is listed below by orthogonal test and Spectrophotometry. The optimum extraction condition of shell is, extraction time (2 h), liquid ration(1:30), mesh number(80 mesh), and the content of Shikimic acid is 89.4 mg/g; The optimum extraction condition of seeds is, extraction time (2 h), liquid ration(1:40), mesh number(50 mesh), and the content of Shikimic acid is 16.4 mg/g. This paper is the first report that the content of Shikimic acid in shell is 5 times more than in seeds.