Analysis of the insect-repelling mechanism of star anise extract and its major active compounds against Plodia interpunctella.

One of the major stored product pests, Indian meal moth causes the loss on the agriculture and food industries. This study was conducted to screen the insecticidal activity of ethanolic extracts and fractions partitioned by four different solvents [(1) n-hexane; (2) ether; (3) ethyl acetate; (4) water] from star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) against Plodia interpunctella larvae. Among all solvent-partitioned fractions, the strongest repellency was found for the n-hexane fraction of star anise extract. Solvent-solvent partitioning and chromatographic methods were further used to isolate and identify major anti-insect compounds from star anise extract. The results showed that trans-anethole (94.24%) was the major active compound showing an insect-repelling activity against P. interpunctella. Consequently, trans-anethole can be utilized as a main natural insect-repelling agent for controlling the P. interpunctella infestation. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-022-01053-8. © The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology 2022.