Abstract

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) and star anise (Illicium verum) are popular spices worldwide originally from South East part of Asia. In addition to as food condiment, they have been used extensively in traditional medicine and lately as a subject of research in the field of pharmacology and medical sciences. Most research has been done on the subject of essential oils, especially for star anise, while data on seed oil properties are much scarcer. The main problem in the oil extraction of nutmeg is the hardness of the nut, while, for star anise seed, it is relatively low oil yield (around 10%). This presents a significant problem for screw press production and demands different methods of extraction for better oil yield and quality. The aim of this research was to compare three different methods of oil extraction with n-hexane agitation-assisted extraction (AAE), Soxhlet extraction (SE), and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) at 25 and 100 °C and to compare the processes on the basis of invested time, oil yield, and fatty acid and sterol profile of the oils. The determination of fatty acid composition was carried out by GC–flame ionization detection (FID) analysis of fatty acid methyl esters, while the sterol composition was determined with GC–MS. The highest yield of oil was obtained using the Soxhlet method, while the best results combining time and yield were obtained with the ASE method at 100 °C. The main fatty acid in star anise seed oil was lauric acid (average 62.30%) with significant differences across extraction methods (p < 0.05), while myristic acid (average 75.69%) was the most abundant in all samples of nutmeg oil. The main sterol in all samples was β-sitosterol.

Highlights

  • Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) and star anise (Illicium verum) are native herbs from Southeast Asia which were traditionally used as spices, as a part of traditional medicine, or as a cosmetic ingredient

  • Every method has its advantages and disadvantages, whereby Soxhlet extraction (SE) is done over a longer time period (8 h), at elevated pressure (ASE) is done on a significantly shorter timescale under elevated pressure and with much less solvent usage, and agitation-assisted extraction (AAE) avoids any application of higher temperature during extraction on a timescale more similar to ASE

  • Average results for the oil yield of nutmeg and star anise and average yield of oil depending on the extraction method are presented on Figure 1

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Summary

Introduction

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) and star anise (Illicium verum) are native herbs from Southeast Asia which were traditionally used as spices, as a part of traditional medicine, or as a cosmetic ingredient. Its dried fruit is used as a spice, and it is very important in Chinese medicine where it is used to relieve vomiting, stomach pain, insomnia, skin inflammation, and rheumatic pain. The extraction is performed on a specially designed ASE device which contributes to the automation and ease of use of this extraction method The aims of this present paper were (1) to give more detail information about the fatty acid and sterol composition of nutmeg and star anise seed oils, (2) to try to give alternative methods for oil extraction taking into account the hardness of nutmeg and low oil yield in star anise, and (3) to give some basis for further research of these seeds using ASE

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