Characterization of Fennel Fruit Types and Quality

Abstract

Four samples of different fennel fruit cultivars (F 1-F 4), obtained from El-Fayoum, Egypt (F 1), El- Menia, Egypt (F 2), Sudan, El-Khartoum (F 3), and Germany (F 4) were cultivated in MEPACO`s Farm (Arab Co. for Pharm. and Med. Plants, Cairo, Egypt) and the obtained fruits were subjected to macro- and micromorphological stereomicroscopic examination as well as GC-MS analysis of their volatile oils. The aim of the study is to determine the differences in the macro- and micro- characters of different fruit cultivars as well as their oil constitutes. The results showing different exomorphic parameters viz. shape, color, dimensions and surface sculpture. Also the stereomicroscopic examination showed differences in the epicarp, mesocarp; vitti and endosperm. GC-MS analysis of volatile oils of (F 1-F 4) showed on comparing three parameters; fenchone, estragole and trans-anethole that F 4 has the highest percentage of trans-anethole (78.98%), while F 1 and F 2 have close values (1.05 and 1.02%, respectively) followed by F 3 (3.02%). F 4 has the lowest percentage of estragole (3.97%); while (F 1-F 3) have higher values (78.58, 64.81 and 25.79%, respectively). Also F 4 has doubled the percentage of fenchone (6.73%) of F 1 and F 2 (2.54 and 2.57%, respectively), while F 3 has 0.69%. Thus results show that the two cultivars growing in Egypt (F 1 and F 2) have almost the same ratios of the compared parameters while, the Sudan cultivar F 3 is closer to F 1 and F 2 than it is to F 4. Also the three cultivars (F 1-F 3) are far from specification of sweet fennel oil but close to bitter fennel oil. The German cultivar (F 4) has the best oil quality as a sweet fennel. Investigation of the powdered samples (F 1-F 4) showed that only F 4 is different in having higher abundant fragments of reticulate parenchyma cells with ratio of 1:3 {F 4:(F 1-F 3)}. In conclusion: These findings are of pharmaceutical-industrial value helping in the production of herbal pharmaceutical products of fennel fruit and/or oil of known higher quality.