Comparative Study of Useful Compounds Extracted from Lophanthus anisatus by Green Extraction

What if the secret to greener medicine and food preservation lies in a plant that smells like anise and fights bacteria? A new study reveals how different green extraction methods unlock its hidden powers.

Imagine a plant that not only perfumes your garden but also packs a punch against stubborn bacteria. Researchers in Romania took a close look at Lophanthus anisatus, also known as Agastache foeniculum, and compared several eco-friendly ways to extract its essential oils. They used hydro-distillation (HD), a bio-solvent distillation (BiAD), and supercritical fluid extraction with CO2, sometimes adding ethanol as a co-solvent. The yields varied widely depending on the plant part and the method—flowers gave the most oil with BiAD (1.60 g/100 g), while supercritical extraction with ethanol boosted leaf yields to 1.14 g/100 g. The oil's main components include estragole, limonene, eugenol, and chavicol, which likely explain its antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Notably, Romanian-grown plants concentrate these compounds—estragole over 93% in flowers, and a mix of eugenol and derivatives over 30% in leaves. This makes Lophanthus anisatus a promising candidate for medicinal uses, as a spice, and as a natural preservative.

Key Points

• Green extraction yields vary by plant part and method.
• Flowers yield highest oil with bio-solvent distillation.
• Oil fights bacteria; rich in estragole and eugenol.