Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXIX, Issue 1
Written by Ana-Cristina RĂDEANU, Ioana NICOLAE, Violeta Alexandra ION, Costel VÎNĂTORU, Liliana BĂDULESCU
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (fennel) and Carum carvi L. (caraway) are aromatic plants widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and feed industries due to their essential oils rich in biologically active compounds. This study characterized and compared the chemical composition, total phenolics, flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of essential oils and extracts from four fennel samples and one caraway sample. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fennel oils displayed a largely consistent qualitative profile, with trans-anethole as the predominant constituent (up to 60.5% in cv. Hestia), accompanied by minor compounds such as fenchone, α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, and estragole, which varied quantitatively among cultivars. Caraway oil showed a distinct profile dominated by carvone and D-limonene, accounting for over 97% of the total volatile fraction. Caraway seeds exhibited the highest flavonoid content, while certain fennel cultivars accumulated more total phenolics, resulting in measurable differences in antioxidant capacity. These findings highlight the influence of species and cultivar on the accumulation of bioactive compounds and suggest that both fennel and caraway seeds have potential as natural feed additives to enhance antioxidant defenses, support metabolic efficiency, and improve dairy animal productivity.
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{simplepopup popup="false" name="Citation98"}RADEANU A.C., NICOLAE I., ION V.A., VINATORU C., BADULESCU L. 2026, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN FENNEL AND CARAWAY SEEDS. Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXIX, Issue 1, ISSN 2285-5785, 804-812. {/simplepopup}