Illicium verum Essential Oil as Antibacterial Agent

Rizki Damayanti

1,4

, Tamrin

, Eddyanto

and Zul Alfian

Postgraduate Chemistry Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara,

Jl. Bioteknologi No. 1 Kampus USU, Medan, Indonesia

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara,

Jl. Bioteknologi No. 1, Medan 20155, Indonesia

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan,

Medan, Indonesia

Department of Chemistry Universitas Serambi mekkah, Aceh, Indonesia

Keywords: Essential Oils, Illicium verum, Antibacterial, Density, Bias Index.

Abstract: This aim of this research was to determine the main compounds, physico-chemical properties and the

potential of Illcium verum essential oils as antibacterial agent. Essential oil was obtained by steam

distillation of dried sample method. The yield of distillation of 500 grams of Illcium verum dry sample was

1.8% with physico-chemical properties of specific gravity 0.978 gr / mL and index of refraction 1.3284. The

results of volatile oil characterization using GC-MS showed that the main compounds contained were

anetols (97.03%). The anti-bacterial test results for gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and

negative Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria indicate that Illcium verum essential oil has the potential as an

antibacterial.

1 INTRODUCTION

Illicium verum called star anise is an aromatherapy

plant containing essential oils (Figure 1). Illicium

verum is usually used for spices. Europe in the 17th

century introduced Illicium verum as a spice. The

Illicium verum plant originated in southern China

and North Vietnam, then grew exclusively in South

China, Indonesia and Japan. Essential oils are

obtained using the steam distillation method

(Morton, 2004).

Figure 1: Illicium verum.

Vietnam produces more than 2000 tons of star

anise seeds per year. Around 1600 tons of seeds

were exported to Cuba, China and Soviet Taiwan. In

addition, 200-250 tons of essential oil were sent to

France and Czechoslovakia (de Beer, 1993). In 2002

the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic was

very useful for food and medicine (Morton, 2004).

From this explanation, it shows that this plant is

very good as a basic product for commercial

products.

This article informs the main components, the

physical properties of the essential oils of Illicium

verum, and also informs that the essential oils of

Illcium verum have the potential as antibacterial.

Antibacterial tests were tested on gram positive (S.

aureus) and negative (E. coli) bacteria. S. aureus is

one of the microbial pathogens which is often

positive in food (Octaviantris, 2007). Food sources

of S. aureus contamination that cause epidemics are

pork, bread products, beef, turkey, chicken and eggs.

The Gram negative bacteria used are E. coli bacteria,

usually these bacteria are often found in food,

sewage disposal, human digestive tracts, household

appliances. Selection of E. coli and S. aureus

bacteria in bacterial tests because their growth is

very fast and easy to handle (Octaviantaris, 2007).

Damayanti, R., Tamrin, ., Eddyanto, . and Alﬁan, Z.

Illicium verum Essential Oil as Antibacterial Agent.

DOI: 10.5220/0008855200960099

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Chemical Science and Technology Innovation (ICOCSTI 2019), pages 96-99

ISBN: 978-989-758-415-2

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Materials

The material used by Illicium verum obtained from

the Pancing market, Medan, North Sumatra,

aquades. The tools used are distillation stahl, scales,

picnometers, refractometers, glassware and Gas

Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

(Shimadzu-Qp-505).

2.2 Methods

The Illicium verum was dried gradually (± 500g

each distillation) and put into Dean-Stark distillator.

The sample and distillate water ratio was 1: 2, then

the sample was evaporated for 6 hours at a

temperature of 100-105

C. Some amount of

anhydrous Na

was added to obtained essential

oils. The produced essential oils were analyzed for

yield, specific gravity, refractive index (SNI 06-

2385-2006), and characterization of the main

chemical compounds in Illicium verum using Gas

Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

(Shimadzu-Qp- 505). Then, the obtained essential

oil was tested against S. aureus and E. coli to

measure its activity as antibacterial agent.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1 Yield Percentage and Physical

Properties of Atsiri Oil

The yield percentage of the isolated essential oils

from 500 g of dried sample Illicium verum was 1.8%

v/w. The physical properties of Illicium verum

essential oil was yellowish and has a distinctive odor

(Figure 2). In the previous research that conducted

by Gholivand et al. (2009) reported that the dried

Illicium verum contained 8 to 12% of essential oil.

The physicochemical properties of essential oils that

produced in this study has specific gravity of 0.978

gr / mL and index of refraction of 1.3284.

Figure 2: Essential oil of Illicium verum.

3.2 Chemical Compounds of Illicium

verum Essential Oil

The main compounds in essential oils are terpenoids,

which consist of monoterpenes with the range of

boiling points 140-180°C, and sesquiterpene with

boiling points above 200°C (Harborne 1987). The

compound that presence in Illicium verum essential

oil was characterized using GC-MS (Figure 3). The

GC-MS results of the Illicium verum essential oils

showed that the main components were anethol

(97.03%) and estragola (1.58%). This is in according

with the result of Dwivedy et al. (2018) that the

main components in Illicium verum are anetol

(89.12%) and estragola (4.86%).

This distinguish was caused by the differences in

the harvest age, storage, variety, and geographical

location (Sivasothy et al. 2011). Bermawie et al.,

(2008) also stated that the differences in the results

of the amount of substances formed in plants can be

influenced by several factors including

environmental and geographical factors.

Figure 3: Chromatogram of essential oils.

The structure of the dominant compounds in

the essential oils of Illicium verum is presented in

Figure 4.

Figure 4: Structure of anethol and estragola.

Anethol is a compound that responsible for the

distinctive aroma of Illicium verum essential oil.

Mass chromatogram based on the Wiley data base

Illicium verum Essential Oil as Antibacterial Agent

(Figure 5) shows that anetol has an SI value: 97 with

molecular weight 148 (Figure 6) corresponding to

the molecular weight of anethol (C

O). The base

peak m/z 148 is the typical base peak for anethol,

because anethol is stabilized by resonance. Fraction

with m/z 117 is produced by the release of H and O

= CH

radicals.

Figure 5: Anetol chromatogram based on the Wiley

database.

Figure 6: Proposed Fragmentation Pattern of Anethol

Compounds (Kusumaningsih, 2004).

3.3 Antibacterial Activities of Illicium

verum Essential Oil

The antibacterial activity of Illicium verum againts

E. coli and S. aureus was performed using disc paper

method. The diameter of the inhibition zone is an

indication of the sensitivity of the testing bacteria,

with the greater the inhibition zone, the antibacterial

activity has better antibacterial activity (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Zone of Inhibition againt (a) E. coli and (b) S.

Aureus.

E. coli is one of the bacteria that used in this

study and classified as gram negative bacteria. Gram

negative bacteria have better resistance to

antimicrobial compounds compared to gram-positive

bacteria, according to Zuhud's opinion (Zuhud,

2011).

The inhibitory categories are grouped into three

based on inhibition diameter, i.e. (i) 0-3 mm is weak

category, (ii) 3-6 mm is moderate category, and (iii)

>6 mm is strong category. A material is said to have

strong antibacterial activity if the diameter is greater

or equal to 6 mm (Suciati et al., 2012).

The inhibitory value of Illicium verum essential

oil against E. coli and S. aureus respectively 0.8 mm

& 1.45 mm. This shows that essential oils of Illicium

verum against E. coli and S. aureus have the

potential as antibacterial .

4 CONCLUSIONS

The yield percentage of 500 grams of dried sample

Illcium verum is 1.8%. The physicochemical

properties of Illicium verum essensial oils, i.e.

specific gravity of 0.978 gr / mL and index of

refraction 1.3284. The main compounds that

contained in Illcium verum essential oils are anetol

(97.03%) and Estragol (1.58%). Illicium verum

essential oils against E. coli and S. aureus have the

potential as antibacterial.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author thanks to BUDI-DN for the financial

support to perform the research.

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Illicium verum Essential Oil as Antibacterial Agent