Purpose: To determine the characteristic aromatic constituents of star anise (
Illicium verum
Hook. f.)
and identify its main aroma compounds for sensory evaluation.
Methods: The volatile compounds of star anise were prepared by simultaneous distillation-extraction
(SDE) and the compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The
flavor compounds were confirmed by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). Their flavor dilution
factor (FD) values were determined using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Finally, standard
samples that meet the requirements for sensory evaluation were extracted by the solid-phase
microextraction (SPME) to further validate characteristic aroma molecules.
Results: Forty seven compounds were confirmed, with trans-anethole, estragole, and anisaldehyde the
main aroma components. The content of trans-anethole was the highest (75.76 %), followed by linalool
(1.44 %). Limonene (1.01 %) and 4’-methoxypropiophenone (0.72 %) were the lowest.
Conclusion: Combining SDE coupled with AEDA and SPME coupled with GC-MS is beneficial for
identifying characteristic aroma compounds for star anise, such as trans-anethole, linalool and limonene
in terms of FD value. The findings may be useful for star anise quality control in the food industry.
