Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) essential oil: The chemical profile, biological activity, and utilization of the commercial products

• Published in: Food bioscience 2024-10, Vol.61, p.104901, Article 104901
• Main Authors: Đurović, Saša D., Micić, Darko, Jovanović, Marina, Dojčinović, Biljana, Mitić Ćulafić, Dragana, Smyatskaya, Yulia A., Riabov, Pavel, Božović, Rade
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Application; Biological activity; Chemical profile; Commercial essential oils; Fennel; Thermal properties
• ISSN: 2212-4292; 2212-4306
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fbio.2024.104901

Laboratory-isolated essential oils are commonly used in experiments regarding their utilization as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. This study analyzed commercially available essential oils (Serbian-FSR and Russian-FRU) of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and added to the pork patties to investigate their possible role as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. Chemical analysis of the samples showed significant differences in profiles caused by geographical origin and other environmental factors. The main compound in both samples was trans-Anethole, but it had a much higher content in Serbian oils. On the contrary, Russian oil had a high portion of anisaldehyde and linalool. These diversities are the main reason for thermal behavior and biological activity differences. The thermal analysis has shown that FSR had a crystalline form in the solid state, while FRU had an amorphous form. During heating, in FSR, a single-step weight loss was detected, while in FRU, a two-step weight loss was observed, indicating that, in addition to evaporation, components in FRU interacted with each other, forming lesser volatile molecules. After adding pork patties, Russian oil showed higher potency and better protective behavior than Serbian oil. Moreover, mixtures of these oils were added to the patties samples, and results showed higher potency when compared to individual oil samples. This indicated that minor compounds from both oils interacted and synergistically acted to prolong the shelf life of the meat samples. Commercial essential oils could be successfully utilized to prolong shelf life and provide additional intake of natural compounds significant for the human diet. [Display omitted] •Fennel's essential oil from Serbia (FSR) and Russia (FRU) (EO) were analyzed.•Serbian oil had a crystalline form, while Russian had an amorphous form.•Biological activity assays showed that FRU was more potent than FSR.•Both oils successfully prolonged shelf life of pork patties, but FRU was more potent.•FRU and FSR mixtures were more potent comparing to the individual oils.