Abstract:

Star anise(Illicium verum) is a characteristic natural plant resources in China, and widely used in the field of spicery, food and medicine. More than 85% of star anise resources in the world are produced in Guangxi and Yunnan of China. The total cultivated area of star anise are 472 700 hm², and the annual average yield of star anise is about 206 900 t. The use of star anise is mainly fruits, branches and leaves. The processing technology, quality requirements and detection method of star anise characteristic resources including primary products of dried fruit and anise oil, and deeply processed products of oleoresin, anethole, estragole, shikimic acid and anisaldehyde, and so on were introduced. The development status and trends of processing and utilization of star anise including processing of dried fruit, extraction of anise oil, deep processing and extraction of other high-value active ingredients were analyzed. The problems of direct consumption of dried fruit raw materials, the low proportion of deep processing and utilization, and the serious lag in deep processing technology and new products development were pointed out. In the future, the processing and utilization industry of star anise should focus on improving deep processing technology, expanding new product development and broadening product application.

Key words: star anise (Illicium verum) resources, processing technology, products, industry status, development tendency