Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Three Ocimum basilicum L. Cultivars from Serbia

Abstract

Basil essential oil (BEO) contains a wide range of chemical compounds whose content may vary depending on chemotypes, environmental conditions, agronomic techniques and particularly the origin of the plant. In our present study, essential oils (EOs) were isolated by hydrodistillation method from dry herbs of three basil cultivars and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Two of the tested cultivars belong to sweet basil group (B1 and B2) while the third one was large leafed ʽGenovese’ basil (B3). EO content in the dry herb was 0.65%, 0.41% and 0.62% respectively. The main classes of compounds of B1EO and B3EO were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (38.39% and 37.95%), oxygenated monoterpenes (25.44% and 28.04%) and phenylpropanoids (17.43% and 15.71%). The main constituents of both EOs were monoterpene alcohol linalool (13.68% and 15.38%), phenoyl derivate eugenol (10.83% and 8.97%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbon α-bergamotene (8.12% and 9.25%). In both EOs, epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene was detected in considerable amount (7.03% and 8.07%). The most abundant compound classes in B2EO were oxygenated monoterpenes (52.07%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (24.27%) and phenylpropanoids (10.95%). Linalool was the dominant compound (40.97%), followed by epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene (8.70%) and methyl chavicol (7.92%). The results showed complex chemical composition of BEOs and pointed out the presence of biologically active compounds of importance for different branches of the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industry. Although there are differences in the chemical composition of the BEOs, the obtained results show that all of the tested cultivars are rich in compounds which are responsible for biological activities.

Chemical components and pharmacological benefits of Basil (Ocimum basilicum): a review

“…It has been reported that important essential oil components are terpnes, phenylpropanoids, alcohols and aldehydes, [34] and essential oil composition influenced by location, growing conditions, cultivars, Table 1. The most important characteristics of Basil (Ocimum basilicum).…”

Composition of Lavandula angustifolia L. cultivated in Transylvania, Romania

“…Linalool is an aromatic monoterpene, also identified in high amounts in other aromatic herbs (Toncer et al, 2017;Ilić et al, 2019), and it is considered as having effects in decreasing anxiety (Moss and Oliver, 2012;Chioca el al., 2013), but also as anticonvulsant, sedative or antidepressant (Shahabi et al, 2014). It is considered as main responsible for Lavandula angustifolia L. essential oil anxiolytic effects (Trombeta et al, 2005;Kasper et al, 2010), by inhibiting serotonin reuptake and increasing the level of serotonin (Cowen et al, 2015).…”

Efficiency of Basil Essential Oil Antimicrobial Agents under Different Shading Treatments and Harvest Times

“…Basil essential oils (BEOs) are natural volatile compounds and contain a wide range of chemical constituents produced by plant secondary metabolism [1] and used forapplications in various industries such as pharmaceutical [2], cosmetic, perfumery, dental, and oral products [3] and the aromatherapy and food industries [4]. Basil has been applied in traditional medicine with positive effects againstfever and cough, flu, asthma, and bronchitis [5].…”

“…Basil has been applied in traditional medicine with positive effects againstfever and cough, flu, asthma, and bronchitis [5]. Basil used in the Balkan diet isdescribed as havingradio-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-diabetic, and anti-pyretic properties [1].…”