View source for Extraction and Characterization of Essential Oils from Basil Varieties

==Introduction==
According to [[Media:17688.pdf|Vina and Murillo]] (and references within), the essential oils from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil basil plant] (''Ocimum spp'') can be grouped in three chemical families: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylpropanoid phenylpropanoids], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoterpene monoterpenes], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesquiterpene sesquiterpenes]. Phenylpropanoids are plant compounds that are derived from the non-oxidative deamination (loss of ammonia) of the amino acids [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylalanine phenylalanine] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrosine tyrosine] by the enzyme [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylalanine_ammonia-lyase PAL]. Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are composed of 2 and 3 isoprene subunits, respectively, and believed to be synthesized through the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevalonate_pathway mevalonate pathway].

Based on these three chemical families, Vina and Murillo defined "3 profiles:"
:'''phenylpropanoid-rich''', phenylpropanoids > monoterpenes > sesquiterpenes (profile 1)
:'''monoterpene-rich''', monoterpenes > phenylpropanoids > sesquiterpenes (profile 2)
:'''sesquiterpene-rich''', sesquiterpenes > phenylpropanoids > monoterpenes (profile 3)

Of the 12 varieties of basil investigated by [[Media:17688.pdf|Vina and Murillo]], 7 varieties are labeled ''profile 1'', 4 varieties are labeled ''profile 2'', and only 1 variety is labeled ''profile 3''. The chemical compounds that occur most frequently in basil include, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_cinnamate methyl cinnamate] (a phenylpropanoid), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linalool linalool] (a monoterpene), and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptol 1,8-cineole] (also a monoterpene).

Other chemical compounds that appear to be common among these 12 varieties include [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estragole methyl chavicol] (a phenylpropanoid also known as estragole and p-allylanisole), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryophyllene caryophyllene] (a sesquiterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinene pinene] (a monoterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrcene myrcene], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonene limonene] (a monoterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimene ocimene] (a monoterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terpineol terpineol] (a monoterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_eugenol methyl eugenol] (a phenylpropanoid), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-%CE%B2-bergamotene bergamotene] (???), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaiene guaiene] (a sesquiterpene),[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnesene farnesene] (a sesquiterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selinene selinene] (a sesquiterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germacrene germacrene] (a sesquiterpene), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadinene cadinene], spatulenol, epicubenol, and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadinol cadinol] (a sesquiterpene).

The essential oil composition from "basil" is significantly different depending on the specific variety and other factors including growing conditions. For culinary purposes, these details are less important since the character of the basil can be evaluated by tasting the leaf prior to food preparation. When essential oils are used for medicinal purposes, the chemical composition of the oil needs to be characterized using the technique of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography%E2%80%93mass_spectrometry gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).]

==References==

[[Media:17688.pdf|Essential oil composition from twelve varieties of basil (Ocimum spp) grown in Colombia]]
:Amparo Viña; Elizabeth Murillo* Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia


[[Media:Grayer 1996.pdf|Infraspecific Taxonomy and Essential Oil Chemotypes in Sweet Basil, ''Ocimum basilicum''.]]