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Fennel

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COMERG • Fennel extraction

Sweet Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare L.

Turn fennel seed into a high-strength, food-grade extract with COMERG equipment. Our cold, room-temperature, low-pressure process captures the sweet anise lift of the seed, the anethole that fennel shares with anise and star anise, kept fresh by working without heat.

Technical reply in 48h Free yield review Worldwide shipping
68% anethole

The spice

The sweet anise seed

Fennel is the dried fruit of Foeniculum vulgare, a ribbed green-gold seed with a clean, sweet, licorice-like aroma. That signature comes from anethole, the same naturally sweet compound that defines anise and star anise, lifted by a cooler, herbaceous note from fenchone.

The seeds are milled and processed cold, so the finished extract carries the full sweetness of the spice. Nothing is added, and the natural balance of anethole and its supporting compounds is preserved.

Raw material

Botanical nameFoeniculum vulgare L.
FamilyApiaceae
Plant partFruits (seed)
ConditionDried, ground
OriginBulgaria
AvailabilityAll year

The extract

What the process delivers

Run on COMERG equipment, fennel seed yields a standardised, high-strength extract, batch after batch. Because the extraction is cold and solvent-light, with no high heat, the sweet anise top note carries straight through to the finished oil. The figures below are typical of a standardised BFen-90.1 grade.

≥90%Volatile oil v/w
68%Anethole
18%Fenchone
<25 °CExtraction temp
97%Compound recovery
~28 kgSeed per kg extract

The method

Cold extraction, in three steps

No heat, no leftover solvent. This is what happens inside a COMERG aerosol system, and why the extract keeps the full fennel character.

1

Pressurised R134a flooding

Non-toxic liquefied R134a gas is introduced to the milled fennel seed at controlled, low pressure. There is no heat, the cycle begins and stays at room temperature.

2

Selective aromatic dissolution

The liquid gas gently dissolves the anethole, fenchone and the supporting terpenes, while the sweet, heat-sensitive top notes stay structurally intact.

3

Recovery and pure extract

The R134a is fully recovered and recycled in a closed loop. What is left is a concentrated fennel extract, at least 90% volatile oil, with under 0.1 g/kg residue.

Aromatic profile

The compound fingerprint

Principal constituents identified by GC-MS, each above 1%. Anethole dominates the profile and carries the sweet anise character, with fenchone adding the cooler, herbaceous edge.

Anethole
68%
Fenchone
18%
Methyl chavicol
3%
a-Pinene
2%
Myrcene
2%
Limonene
2%
0%30%50%70%+

Other extractables present. Per-batch GC-MS report available on request.

Specification

BFen-90.1 at a glance

Identity & origin

Botanical nameFoeniculum vulgare L.
Plant partFruits (seed)
OriginBulgaria
Product codeBFen-90.1
CAS No.84625-39-8
EINECS No.283-414-6

Production

MethodLiquefied-gas extraction
TemperatureBelow 25 °C
SolventFood-grade (Dir. 97/60/EC)
Solvent residue< 0.1 g/kg
StandardisationDeclared volatile oil
Concentration1 kg ≈ 25-30 kg seed

Physical

AppearanceGreen clear oily liquid
Volatile oil≥ 90% v/w (ASTA)
INCI nameFoeniculum Vulgare Fruit Extract
Density975 g/l
Refractive index1.5249
Acid value3.9 mg KOH/g

Solubility & output

In oilsFully soluble
In 40% alcoholPartial
In waterInsoluble
Flash point> 61 °C
ContainerLined aluminium bottle
Shelf life2 years

Why fennel, why cold

A sweet seed, captured whole

A concentrated seed

Foeniculum vulgare, Bulgaria

Plant partSeed, milled
Seed per kg extract~25-30 kg
Volatile oil≥ 90% v/w
AntioxidantDPPH IC50 6.03 mg/ml

Captured cold

Versus steam distillation

Anethole68% retained
Fenchone18%
Process temperature< 25 °C
Top notesPreserved

Applications

What you can make

Food & flavour Beverages & liqueurs Bakery & confectionery Fine perfumery Oral care Cosmetics

The extract can be taken concentrated or diluted in a carrier oil to suit the application. Typical filling rates for the concentrated extract in food are 1 to 5 mg per kilogram of product.

Why the COMERG line

Built for sweet spice like fennel

The sweetness above is not an accident of the seed alone, it is what the right equipment makes repeatable. Our line is engineered around the things that matter when you process a top-note-rich spice.

Room temperatureR134a aerosol extraction works cold and at low pressure, so the sweet anise top notes are never cooked off.
Keeps the anetholeAnethole carries almost the entire fennel character. Cold extraction concentrates it cleanly into the extract.
Fully automatedClosed-loop systems run the cycle for you, so results stay consistent and one operator can handle the line.
Fast cycles, high yieldLow-pressure extraction is quick and recovers up to 97% of the seed's compounds, more than older high-pressure CO2 lines.
Scales with youFrom a 10 l pilot unit to 2000 l production, the same method grows from R&D batches to full output.
Clean and economicalIt uses around 85% less energy than solvent methods and needs no special hazardous-location facility.

Why it wins

Compared to the alternatives

Against steam distillation, solvent and CO2, cold R134a extraction keeps more of the fennel, with a clean, sweet, high-strength result.

FeatureCOMERG R134aSteam distillationSolventCO₂ supercritical
Process temperature< 25 °C (room temp)100-150 °C40-70 °C31-80 °C
Aromatic preservation95%+60-75%~85%~80%
Compound recoveryup to 97%70-85%80-90%85-92%
AnetholeConcentratedRetained, some lossRetainedMostly retained
Solvent residue< 0.1 g/kgNoneNeeds post-purgeNone
Energy use85% less vs solventHighMedium-highVery high
Special facilityNot requiredNot requiredRequiredHigh-pressure safety

From seed to extract

The machines for fennel

A complete COMERG line takes fennel from raw seed to a finished extract. These are the core stages, each available as standalone equipment.

View all equipment
Product specificationFull composition, properties, packaging and handling for fennel extract BFen-90.1.
Download PDF

Questions

Fennel extraction, explained

A 100% natural fennel seed extract, product code BFen-90.1. It reaches at least 90% volatile oil, led by around 68% anethole, with no additives.

Liquefied food-grade gas extraction at room temperature, below 25 °C, and low pressure. Because there is no high heat, the delicate aromatic compounds are preserved and solvent residue stays below 0.1 g/kg.

Fennel's sweetness lives in anethole and a set of bright top notes that can be dulled by prolonged heat. Cold R134a extraction concentrates them cleanly so the extract stays close to the fresh seed.

Roughly 1 kg of extract represents around 25 to 30 kg of dried, milled fennel seed.

Yes. The same cold process runs from a 10 l pilot unit to 2000 l production systems, so you can start small and grow without changing method.

It is produced with a food-grade solvent per Directive 97/60/EC. It is a raw material for formulation, not intended for direct consumption or undiluted topical use, and users are responsible for compliance with applicable legislation.

Yes. A per-batch GC-MS analysis is available on request, and a Safety Data Sheet per 2006/1907/EC is supplied with the product.

Set up your fennel line

Tell us your throughput and target product. We will recommend the right system, share a yield estimate for your fennel seed, and reply with pricing and lead time, usually within 48 hours.

COMERG extracts are raw materials for product formulation. They are not intended for direct consumption or for undiluted topical application in cosmetics, perfumery or aromatherapy. This information is provided to the best of our knowledge and is not a substitute for prior testing of suitability for the intended use. Keep away from children.

The fennel line

Equipment for processing fennel

The machines below make up the fennel line, the equipment that takes the seed through to a finished extract. Request a quote on any unit and we will reply with pricing and lead time.

  • 1000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    1000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    An industrial-scale aerosol extraction system for very high-volume, room-temperature, residue-free processing of any botanical.

  • 100L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    100L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A commercial-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 10L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    10L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    An entry-level, fully automated low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from virtually any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 10T Conveyor Dryer System

    10T Conveyor Dryer System

    A continuous belt dryer that gently dries freshly harvested botanical biomass on a four-layer, 12 m mesh belt at an adjustable 0-90 °C, fed and discharged automatically.

  • 150L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    150L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    A production-scale system that refines large lots of botanical extract to a fixed specification at room temperature, with no thermal damage to the active profile.

  • 2000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    2000L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    Our largest aerosol extraction platform, built for maximum-volume industrial production with the same gentle, residue-free low-pressure process.

  • 200L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    200L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A high-capacity commercial low-pressure aerosol system for room-temperature, residue-free extraction of essential oils and aromatics from any botanical.

  • 20L Aerosol Extraction System

    20L Aerosol Extraction System

    A compact production-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 20L MAX HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    20L MAX HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A dual-vessel 20L MAX system that doubles throughput while keeping the same gentle, room-temperature, residue-free aerosol extraction for any botanical.

  • 25L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    25L Fully Automated Compound Remediation System

    A pilot-scale system that scales a validated remediation method to repeatable batches, stripping targeted impurities from extract while protecting the active profile.

  • 30L Ultrasonic Extraction System

    30L Ultrasonic Extraction System

    A 30L ultrasonic-assisted extraction system that uses 20 kHz cavitation to rupture plant cells and release oils into solvent quickly, at low temperature, with vacuum filtration.

  • 500L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    500L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A large-scale industrial aerosol system delivering high-volume, room-temperature, residue-free botanical extraction at low pressure.

  • 500L Vacuum Drying Oven with Drawer

    500L Vacuum Drying Oven with Drawer

    A production-scale 18 cu ft vacuum oven with a pull-out drawer and integrated pump that purges and dries large batches of botanical extract at low temperature.

  • 50L Crystallization Reactor

    50L Crystallization Reactor

    A 50L jacketed reactor that crystallises high-purity botanical isolates from a distilled feed under precise temperature and agitation control, with repeated recrystallisation for maximum purity.

  • 50L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    50L HTE Fully Automated Aerosol Extraction System

    A floor-standing production-scale low-pressure aerosol system that gently extracts essential oils and aromatics from any botanical at room temperature, with no residue.

  • 50L Vacuum Drying Oven

    50L Vacuum Drying Oven

    A compact 2 cu ft vacuum oven that purges residual solvent and gently dries botanical extracts at low temperature under vacuum, protecting colour, aroma and actives.