Biological Activity and Phytochemical Characteristics of Star Anise () Essential Oil and Its Anti- Activity on Sous Vide Pumpkin Model.

, commonly known as star anise, represents one of the notable botanical species and is recognized for its rich reservoir of diverse bioactive compounds. Beyond its culinary application as a spice, this plant has been extensively utilized in traditional medicine. Given the contemporary emphasis on incorporating natural resources into food production, particularly essential oils, to enhance sensory attributes and extend shelf life, our study seeks to elucidate the chemical composition and evaluate the antibacterial (, ) and insecticidal properties of essential oil (IVEO). Also, microbiological analyses of pumpkin sous vide treated with IVEO after inoculation of were evaluated after 1 and 7 days of study. GC/MS analysis revealed a significantly high amount of ()-anethole (88.4%) in the investigated EO. The disc diffusion method shows that the antibacterial activity of the IVEO ranged from 5.33 () to 10.33 mm (). The lowest minimal inhibition concentration was found against and the minimum biofilm inhibition concertation was found against . In the vapor phase, the best antimicrobial activity was found against in the pears model and against in the beetroot model. The application of the sous vide method in combination with IVEO application decreased the number of microbial counts and eliminated the growth of . The most isolated microbiota identified from the sous vide pumpkin were , , , and . Modifications to the protein composition of biofilm-forming bacteria were suggested by the MALDI TOF MS instigations. The IVEO showed insecticidal potential against . Thanks to the properties of IVEO, our results suggest it can be used in the food industry as a natural supplement to extend the shelf life of foods and as a natural insecticide.