Foeniculum vulgare, monoterpene

Croteau, R., Felton, M. and Ronald, R.C. (1980a) Biosynthesis of monoterpenes conversion of the acyclic precursors geranyl pyrophosphate and neryl pyrophosphate to the rearranged monoterpenes fenchol and fenchone by a soluble enzyme preparation from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 200(2), 524-533. 

Trimethyl-2- norcamphanone) (monoterpene) Foeniculum vulgare (fruit, fennel oil) (Apiaceae), Lavandula stoechus (Lavender oil) (Lamiaceae) camphoracious)... 

The ketone fenchone and the alcohols a-fenchol (endo) and /8-fenchol (exo) constitute the fenchane family of bicyclic monoterpenes. Fenchanes are of rather limited distribution in the plant kingdom, and interest in this group of compounds stems primarily from the fact that their carbon skeleton appears to be derived by rearrangement of a pinane-type intermediate (Fig. 5). (-l-)-Fenchone is one of the m or terpenoids of the volatile oil of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and soluble enzyme preparations from fennel leaves convert GPP and NPP to fenchol in the presence of Mn and, in the pres-... 

In summary, Foeniculum is stated to have three species, F. vulgare (fennel), F. azoricum Mill. (Florence fennel) and F. dulce (sweet fennel). Fennel is widely cultivated, both in its native habitat and elsewhere, for its edible, strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. The flavour is similar to, but milder than, that of anise and star anise. Anethole and fenchone are the major constituents of the solvent extract of seed phenols, free fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals have been reported in varying proportions. In the mature fruit, up to 95% of the essential oil is located in the fruit, greater amounts being found in the fully ripe fruit. Approximately 45 constituents have been determined from fennel seed oil, the main constituents being frans-anethole, fenchone, estragol (methyl chavicol), limonene, camphene, a-pinene and other monoterpenes, fenchyl alcohol and... 

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