DARU Volume 14, No.

3, 2006
128

ANALYSIS OF THE ESSENTIAL OILS OF TWO CULTIVATED

BASIL (OCIMUM BASILICUM L.) FROM IRAN

SEYED EBRAHIM SAJJADI

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,

Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

ABSTRACT
The chemical compositions of the essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. cv. purple and Ocimum
basilicum L. cv. green cultivated in Iran were investigated by GC-MS. Twenty constituents (98.5% of the
total oil) were identified in the volatile oil of O. basilicum L. cv. Purple. The main constituents found in
the oil were methyl chavicol (52.4%), linalool (20.1%), epi-α-cadinol (5.9%) and trans-α-bergamotene
(5.2%). In the volatile oil of O. basilicum L. cv. green, twelve components were characterized
representing 99.4% of the total oil. Methyl chavicol (40.5%), geranial (27.6%), neral (18.5%) and
caryophyllene oxide (5.4%) were the major components. Methyl chavicol is the dominant constituent in
each of the two oils. Although the oil of green basil was characterized by a highccontent (46.1%) of citral
(neral and geranial), citral was not detected in the oil of purple basil oil.
Keywords: Ocimum basilicum, Lamiaceae, Essential oil, Methyl chavicol, Citral

INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS

The genus Ocimum comprises more than 150
Plants Material
species and is considered as one of the largest
Aerial parts of cultivated O. basilicum L. cv.
genera of the Lamiaceae family (1). Ocimum purple and O. basilicum L. cv. green at full
basilicum L. (sweet basil) is an annual herb which flowering stage were collected from Isfahan in Sep
grows in several regions all over the world. The of 2004 at an altitude of 1570m. The plants were
plant is widely used in food and oral care products. identified at the Botany Department of the Faculty
The essential oil of the plant is also used as of Sciences, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran and
perfumery (2). The leaves and flowering tops of voucher specimens have been deposited in the
sweet basil are used as carminative, galactogogue, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
stomachic and antispasmodic medicinal plant in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan,
folk medicine (3, 4). Antiviral and antimicrobial Iran (N0. 1114 and 1115).
activities of this plant have also been reported
Isolation of the Oils
(5, 6). Plants material was hydrodistilled in a clevenger-
There are many cultivars of basil which vary in type apparatus for 3h according to the method
their leaf color (green or purple), flower color recommended in the British Pharmacopoeia (12).
(white, red,ppurple) and aroma (7). Ocimum spp. The volatile oils were dried over anhydrous
contain a wide range of essential oils rich in sodium sulphate and stored in sealed vials at 4° C
phenolic compounds and a wide array of other until analysis. The yield of the oils was calculated
natural products including polyphenols such as based on dried weight of plant materials.
flavonoids and anthocyanins (8).
The chemical composition of basil oil has been the GC-MS Analysis
GC-MS analysis was carried out on a Hewlett-
subject of considerable studies. There is extensive
Packard 6890 gas chromatograph fitted with a
diversity in the constituents of the basil oils and
fused silica HP-5MS capillary column (30 m ×
several chemotypes have been established from
0.25 mm; film thickness 0.25 µm). The oven
various phytochemical investigations. However,
temperature was programmed from 60°-280°C at
methyl chavicol, linalool, methyl cinnamate,
4°C/min. Helium was used as carrier gas at a flow
methyleugenol, eugenol and geraniol are reported rate of 2 mL/min. The gas chromatograph was
as major components of the oils of different coupled to a Hewlett-Packard 6890 mass selective
chemotypes of O. basilicum (9-11). The present detector. The MS operating parameters were
study describes the composition of the essential ionization voltage, 70 eV; and ion source
oils o f two sweet basil cultivated in Iran. temperature, 200°C.

Correspondence: S. Ebrahim Sajjadi, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical

Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, E-mail: [email protected]
 Essential oils of two cultivated basil from Iran 129

Table 1. Percentage composition of the essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. cv. purple and Ocimum basilicum L. cv.
green cultivated in Iran
No Compound Composition (%)
RI Purple Basil Green Basil
1 1-octen-3-ol 979 0.4 0.3
2 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one 987 0.4
3 1,8-cineole 1035 2.4
4 fenchone 1089 0.5 0.3
5 linalool 1100 20.1
6 camphor 1146 0.6
7 terpinen-4-ol 1180 0.8
8 methyl chavicol 1203 52.4 40.5
9 neral 1244 18.5
10 geranial 1274 27.6
11 trans-caryophyllene 1419 1.2 1.6
12 trans-α-bergamotene 1437 5.2 0.8
13 α-humulene 1455 0.5 1.1
14 germacrene-D 1482 1.8
15 bicyclogermacrene 1496 0.9
16 germacrene-A 1504 0.7
17 γ-cadinene 1514 1.8
18 trans-α-bisabolene 1544 1.1
19 spathulenol 1579 0.9
20 caryophyllene oxide 1584 1.4 5.4
21 humulene epoxide II 1610 0.3 1.8
22 1,10-di-epi-cubenol 1616 0.5
23 epi-α-cadinol 1643 5.9
24 β-eudesmol 1652 0.2
RI= retention indices on HP-5 capillary column.
%: Calculated from TIC data.

Identification of components of the volatile oils components.

were based on retention indices and computer In O. basilicum from Bangladesh, linalool and
matching with the Wiley275.L library, as well as geraniol are reported as the main components (15).
by comparison of the fragmentation patterns of the In the oils, obtained from aerial parts of O.
mass spectra with those reported in the literature basilicum grown in Colombia and Bulgaria,
(13, 14). linalool and methyl cinnamate are reported as
Retention indices (RI) values were measured on major components of volatile oils respectinely (16,
HP-5MS column. For RI calculation, a mixture of 17). Linalool and methyl eugenol are the main
homologues n-alkanes (C9-C18) wasuused,uunder components of the essential oils of O. basilicum
the same chromatographic conditions which was cultivated in Mali (11) and Guinea (18).
used for the analysis of the essential oils. The observed differences may be probably due to
different environmental and genetic factors,
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION different chemotypes and the nutritional status of
The yield of the essential oils obtained from aerial the plants as well as other factors that can
parts of O. basilicum L. cv. purple and O. influence the oil composition.
basilicum L. cv. green were 0.2% and 0.5% (v/w) Mixture of methyl chavicol and linalool comprise
respectively. Results of the GC-MS analysis of the 72.5% of the oil of O. basilicum L. cv. purple. The
oils are shown in Table 1, where the components results of this study indicate that the composition
are listed in order of their elution from the HP- of volatile oil of purple balm cultivated in Iran is
5MS column. Twenty compounds of the oil of O. similar to those which are reported from Nigeria
basilicum L. cv. purple and twelve components of (19), Benin (20) and Togo (21). On the other hands,
O. basilicum L. cv. green oil were identified geranial and neral were not detected in the oil of
(98.5% and 99.4% of the total oils respectively). purple balm and the green basil was characterized
The main constituents found in the oil of O. by high content (46.1%) of citral (geranial and
basilicum L. cv. purple were methyl chavicol neral). For determination of probable chemotypes
(52.4%), linalool (20.1%), epi-α-cadinol (5.9%), further investigations would be required.
trans-α-bergamotene (5.2%) and 1,8-cineole
(2.4%). In the oil of O. basilicum L. cv. green, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
methyl chavicol (40.5%), geranial (27.6%), neral The author would like to acknowledge Mr. I.
(18.5%), caryophyllene oxide (5.4%) and Mehregan for identification of plants material and
humulene epoxide II (1.8%) were the major Mrs. A. Jamshidi for her technical help.
 Seyed Ebrahim Sajjadi 130

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