Microwave extraction of essential oils from dried fruits of Illicium verum Hook. f. and Cuminum cyminum L. using ionic liquid as the microwave absorption medium.

Ionic liquid was used as microwave absorption medium and applied to the extraction of essential oils from dried fruits of the Illicium verum Hook. f. and Cuminum cyminum L. by microwave-assisted extraction. The extraction time is less than 15 min at the microwave power of 440 W. The constituents of essential oils obtained by the proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydrodistillation. There is no obvious difference in the constituents of essential oils obtained by the two methods.