Star Anise Oil

#### Star Anise Oil. **Star Anise Oil **is steam distilled from the fresh or partly dried whole or comminuted fruits of **Illicium Verum**, a tall, slender tree which is a native of southeastern Asia. The leaves are codistilled not infrequently, or the essential oil of the leaves may be produced separately but added to the fruit oil on the production place. Distillation takes place in the Tongkin province of Indochina (Viet-Nam) and in the neighboring southern parts of China. There are a few modern distilleries which undertake the rectification of the oil, crudely distilled from native stills. The tree is cultivated, but old and abandoned plantings, semiwild trees, etc. yield a significant quantity of fruits for distillation. During World War II, the star anise oil distillation was almost brought to a standstill and, after the war, serious political troubles in these areas prevented a full come-back of this important flavor material. A synthetic anethole was finally produced at an attractive price and in a sufficiently pure grade for flavor purposes. This anethole completely compensated for the lack of true star anise oil in the United States of America and several other markets. However, it should be remembered that a "synthetic star anise oil" or a "synthetic" **Anethole **(usually produced from methyl chavicole which is isolated from pine oil fractions) may be harmful to human beings due to the presence of *cis-***Anethole**** **in some of the "synthetic" anetholes. Those interested in the toxicity of cis-anethole compared to the harmless *trans-***Anethole **(naturally occurring anethole) should study the publications of Y.-R. Naves, Favre and Ardizio in the Bulletin de la Société Chimique de la France, April, 1958, page 566, and also later publications in various technical periodicals (S.P.C. Sept. 1959), etc. **Star Anise Oil **is a pale yellowish or almost water-white liquid whose odor is intensely sweet. The conventional odor-flavor description "like licorice" is just as erroneous as the description "chocolate-like" for the odor of a vanilla bean. Anise oils are used for the flavoring of licorice, but they have nothing else in common with the pure licorice root or extract of licorice. The two materials have a sweet but widely different flavor. Due to the high content of **Anethole**** **(up to 90/95 %), star anise oil is also strongly reminiscent of "true" anise oil (see **Anise Oil). **Most Pharmacopoeias allow the use of both oils indiscriminately, provided the assays are kept. Although the flavor of star anise oil does not immediately appear very powerful, it has certain unusual characteristics. The use-level (recommended concentration of star anise oil in a finished product where anise is the main flavor principle) can be varied quite substantially without any distinct change in the overall flavor, and without causing the flavor to become unpleasant, biting or pungent. Briefly, overdosage is not easily performed. On the other hand, when the oil is used in the "wrong" places (i.e. where anise is either not wanted or where it should be a trace component or a sweetener only), overdosage is very likely. Trace amounts of star anise oil in e.g. bitter almond oil, rose compounds, lavender oil, etc. may easily ruin a composition. In combination with sweet orange oil or with sweet orange terpenes, star anise oil produces excellent masking effects for putrid odors such as sulfides, etc. (cold wave lotions). In pine needle fragrances, traces of star anise oil are often very helpful, although the anise note in certain cases is quite detrimental to the pine needle odor. The suggested use level and **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **for star anise oil are practically identical to the figures mentioned under **Anise Oil**. **Star Anise Oil **is used almost exclusively as a flavor material in candy, licorice, toothpaste flavors, carbonated drinks, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceutical preparations, etc. Minor amounts are used in soap perfumes, but low-cost synthetic anethole has largely substituted for the unavailable star anise oil for such purposes. Star anise oil is occasionally adulterated at the place of its production with the essential oil from the leaves and twigs of the same tree (**Illicium Verum**). That oil contains less anethole, but has a composition similar to that of star anise fruit oil. "Artificial" star anise oils have flooded the market for some time. They are based upon synthetic anethole, with trace amounts of phellandrene, para-cymene, estragole, safrole, etc. as "bouquetting" additives. Crude star anise oil in the original drums is often very dirty, and may contain water, sand, fruit residues, etc. Filtration and rectification is then recommended. Anethole can be isolated from the oil by freezing. This anethole is an important ingredient in the very popular French "anisette" flavored brandy. This beverage is a 43 to 45 % alcoholic and saturated solution of anethole. It separates anethole and becomes "cloudy" when chilled below room temperature. The annual production of star anise oil in Indochina is estimated at from 300 to 500 metric tons during the five-year period of 1955/60.