Composition and Functional Properties of the Essential Oil of Amazonian Basil, Ocimum micranthum Willd., Labiatae in Comparison with Commercial Essential Oils

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 52; no. 11; pp. 3486 - 3491
• Main Authors: Sacchetti, Gianni, Medici, Alessandro, Maietti, Silvia, Radice, Matteo, Muzzoli, Mariavittoria, Manfredini, Stefano, Braccioli, Elena, Bruni, Renato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 02-06-2004
• Subjects: animal pathogenic fungi; Anti-Bacterial Agents - analysis; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibacterial properties; antifungal properties; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Antioxidants - analysis; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Aroma and flavouring agent industries; Bacteria - drug effects; basil; Biological and medical sciences; chemical composition; Chromatography, Gas; essential oil crops; essential oils; Food industries; Food microbiology; food preservatives; food spoilage; free radical scavenging activity; free radicals; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; Ocimum; Ocimum - chemistry; Ocimum basilicum; Ocimum micranthum; Oils, Volatile - chemistry; thyme; Thymus vulgaris; wild plants; yeasts; antibacterial activity; β-caryophyllene; Ocimum; Spice; β-elemene; Antioxidant; Properties; Eugenol; Ocimum micranthum; antifungal activity; antioxidant activity; Antifungal agent; Plant; Labiatae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Basil; Spermatophyta; Chemical composition; Essential oil; Antibacterial agent
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf035145e

Wild Amazonian basil Ocimum micranthum Willd. (O. campechianum Mill.) Labiatae essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC-MS:  31 compounds were identified. The main components were eugenol (46.55 ± 5.11%), β-caryophyllene (11.94 ± 1.31%), and β-elemene (9.06 ± 0.99%), while a small amount of linalool (1.49 ± 0.16%) was detected. The oil was tested for its in vitro food-related biological activities and compared with common basil Ocimum basilicum and Thymus vulgaris commercial essential oils. Radical scavenging activity was evaluated employing 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The oil exerted a good capacity to act as a nonspecific donor of hydrogen atoms or electrons when checked in the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl assay, quenching 76,61 ± 0.33% of the radical, with values higher than those reported by reference oils. In the β-carotene bleaching test, the oil provided an antioxidant efficacy comparable with that of O. basilicum and T. vulgaris essential oils. These data were confirmed by photochemiluminescence, where the oil showed a remarkable antioxidant capacity (2.39 ± 0.1), comparable to that of Trolox and vitamin E, and higher than the other essential oils. Antibacterial activity of O. micranthum essential oil was evaluated against Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains. The oil showed a dose-dependent antifungal activity against pathogenic and food spoiling yeasts. Keywords: Ocimum micranthum; essential oil; antioxidant activity; antibacterial activity; antifungal activity; eugenol; β-caryophyllene; β-elemene