Ocimum Gratissimum

Czech J. Food Sci.

Vol. 20, No. 6: 223–228

Essential Oil Composition of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum minimum L. in Turkey

MUSA ÖZCAN and JEAN-CLAUSE CHALCHAT

l 1 2

Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Selçuk University, Konya,

2

Turkey; Universite Blaise Pascal de Clermont, Laboratoire de Chimie des Huiles Essentielles, Aubiere Cedex, France

Abstract

ÖZCAN M., CHALCHAT J.-C. (2002): Essential oil composition of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum minimum L. in Turkey. Czech J. Food Sci., 20: 223–228. The constituents of essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation of the overground parts of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum minimum L. from Turkey were examined by GC-MS. A total of 49 and 41 components, respectively, were identified accounting for 88.1% and 74.4% of the oils of O. basilicum and O. minimum, respectively. The oil of O. basilicum contained, as main components, methyl eugenol (78.02%), α-cubebene (6.17%), nerol (0.83%) and ε-muurolene (0.74%). Major compounds in the volatile oil of O. minimum were geranyl acetate (69.48%), terpinen-4-ol (2.35%) and octan-3-yl-acetate (0.72%). The essential oil of O. basilicum was characterised by its high content of methyl eugenol (78.02%), whereas the most important essential oil constituent of O. minimum was geranyl acetate (69.48%). Keywords: O. basilicum L.; O. minimum L.; Lamiaceae; essential oil

Basil (Ocimum spp.), belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is a pleasent by smelling perennial shrub which grows in several regions all over the world (AKGÜL 1993; BARIAUX et al. 1992). Basil is one of the species used for the commercial seasoning. It is commonly known that the presence of essential oils and their composition determine the specific aroma of plants and the flavour of the condiments. Many species of aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family grow wild in the Mediterranean basin (AKGÜL 1989; MAROTTI et al. 1996; SANDA et al. 1998; MARTINS et al. 1999). There are usually...