Basil Essential Oil Research Articles

Effects of Plant-Derived Extracts, Other Antimicrobials, and Their Combinations against Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Beef Systems

The antimicrobial effects of thyme oil (TO), grapefruit seed extract (GSE), and basil essential oil, alone or in combination with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), sodium diacetate, or lactic acid, were evaluated against Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a moisture-enhanced beef model system. The model system was composed of a nonsterile beef homogenate to which NaCl (0.5%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (0.25%) were added, together with the tested antimicrobial ingredients. Beef homogenate treatments were inoculated (ca. 3 log CFU/ml) with rifampin-resistant E. coli O157:H7 (eight-strain mixture) and incubated at 15°C (48 h). The most effective individual treatments were TO (0.25 or 0.5%) and GSE (0.5 or 1.0%), which immediately reduced (P < 0.05) pathogen levels by ≥3.4 log CFU/ml. Additionally, CPC (0.04%) reduced initial E. coli O157:H7 counts by 2.7 log CFU/ml. Most combinations of the tested plant-derived extracts with CPC (0.02 or 0.04%) and sodium diacetate (0.25%) had an additive effect with respect to antibacterial activity. In a second study, antimicrobial interventions were evaluated for their efficacy in reducing surface contamination of E. coli O157:H7 on beef cuts and to determine the effect of these surface treatments on subsequent internalization of the pathogen during blade tenderization. Beef cuts (10 by 8 by 3.5 cm) were inoculated (ca. 4 log CFU/g) on one side with the rifampin-resistant E. coli O157:H7 strain mixture and were then spray treated (20 lb/in2, 10 s) with water, GSE (5 and 10%), lactic acid (5%), or CPC (5%). Untreated (control) and spray-treated surfaces were then subjected to double-pass blade tenderization. Surface contamination (4.4 log CFU/g) of E. coli O157:H7 was reduced (P < 0.05) to 3.4 (5% CPC) to 4.1 (water or 5% GSE) log CFU/g following spray treatment. The highest and lowest transfer rates of pathogen cells from the surface to deeper tissues of blade-tenderized sections were obtained in the untreated control and CPC-treated samples, respectively.

Encapsulated Essential Oils as an Alternative to Insecticides in Funnel Traps.

Pheromone-lured funnel traps are widely used for pest monitoring and mass trapping in agricultural fields and stores. DDVP vapona (dichlorvos), the insecticide of choice as a killing agent inside traps, has been banned, and research on new products is being pursued. Essential oils (EO) could be an alternative if properly formulated. To test their potential, beads of encapsulated coriander and basil EO were tested in funnel traps in stores of almonds and pet foods during 2 mo. The number of adult moth (Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and Ephestia kuehniella Zeller) dead captures was similar with either coriander or basil EO beads and with vapona tablets while there were more insects alive in the control. These preliminary results indicate a good potential for the development of such natural products as an alternative to synthetic insecticides to include them inside funnel traps.

Antibacterial activity of basil essential oil (Ocimum basilicum L.) in Italian-type sausage

This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of basil essential oil in vitro and in Italian-type sausage. This is justified by the relevance of obtaining safe products, with emphasis on the use of natural additives. The basil essential oil presented antibacterial activity in all tested bacteria, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For all other Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, the minimal inhibitory concentration varied from 0.25 to 1.00 mg g−1. Concentrations of essential oil higher than 0.75 mg g−1 led to a flavour that was extremely different from the standard without oil. The essential oil showed a positive influence on reducing the count of Staphylococcus aureus until the 14th day of storage and there was no influence on fermentative lactic and Micrococcaceae bacteria.

Effects of essential oils from African basil on fermentation ofAndropogon gayanusgrass in the Artificial Rumen (RUSITEC)

Kouazounde, J. B., Gbenou, J. D., He, M., Jardim, T., Jin, L., Wang, Y., Beauchemin, K. A. and McAllister, T. A. 2015. Effects of essential oils from African basil on fermentation of Andropogon gayanus grass in the Artificial Rumen (RUSITEC). Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 425–431. Essential oils (EO) from African basil (Ocimum gratissimum) have shown the potential to modify rumen microbial fermentation and reduce ruminal methane production from grass forages in in vitro batch cultures. However, it is not known whether the effects of EO on rumen microbial fermentation attenuate over time. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of African basil EO at 0 (control), 100, 200 and 400 mg L−1incubation medium on microbial fermentation and methane production in the Rumen Simulation Technique (RUSITEC) using Andropogon gayanus grass as a substrate. African basil EO quadratically affected (P&lt;0.05) methane production gas production and the pH of fermenter liquid. Total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production was linearly decreased (P&lt;0.05) by African basil EO along with a shift in VFA profile towards less propionate and more acetate and butyrate. African basil EO quadratically altered (P&lt;0.05) apparent dry matter, neutral detergent fiber digestibility,15N incorporation into total microbial protein and the total production of microbial protein. This study confirms that EO from African basil quadratically affected methane emissions arising from the ruminal fermentation of A. gayanus grass mainly by reducing overall digestibility of the forage.

Effects of mycorrhiza (Glomus intraradices), azotobacter (Azotobacter chrocooccum) and vermicompost on yield and essential oil of Basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.) in organic agriculture

Basil is an edible, medicinal and spice plants that containes rich source of essential oil. Basil fresh leaves are consumed as vegetable or use as flavour in foods and drinks. In present study, Biological fertilizers were used to increase yield of basil. Indeed, using biological fertilizers as alternative to chemical fertilizers in organic agriculture is an effective way to protect environment and human society. This study was carried out in an organic farm at research field of Islamic Azad University, Karaj branch in 2011-2012 growing season. Experiment was conducted in a Factorial arrangement based on randomized complete block design with four replications. Three factors include: mycorrhizae (Glomus intraradices), nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chrocooccum) and vermicompost were randomized. Each factors had two levels useage and not use. Analysis variance results indicated that three-way interaction of mycorrhiza, azotobacter and vermicompost led to increase plant traits such as plant height (<0.05), shoot fresh weight (<0.01) and dry weight (<0.05). The treatments also increased essential oil significantly. The highest plant height, fresh and dry weight was associated with that three-way interaction of traetments. Thus, combined use of mycorrhiza, azotobacter and vermicompost have synergistic effect on basil yield and its essential oil..

The effects of the avilamycin, Protexin® and basil essential oil supplements on ileal bacteria of broiler chickens

The effects of probiotic (Protexin®, Protexin Veterinary, Somerset, UK), medicinal plant (basil essential oil) and an antibiotic growth promoter (avilamycin) as broiler feed additives on ileal bacteria of broilers were studied. A total of 600 Arian broilers were divided into 6 treatments, with 4 replicates of 25 birds. Treatments were a plant essential oil in 3 level (200, 400 and 600 ppm), the probiotic (150 ppm), an antibiotic (150 ppm) and a control group with no additives. Birds in different treatments received the same diets during the experimental period. The results showed that probiotic treatment significantly decreased total bacteria counts (P&amp;lt;0.05). Any of the supplements did not affect colony-forming units of lactobacilli (P&amp;gt;0.05). The lowest and highest lactic acid bacteria in ileum were obtained by the control group and in birds receiving 400 ppm basil essential oil, respectively. Moreover, addition of 600 ppm of basil essential oil into diet decreased the number of &lt;em&gt;E.coli&lt;/em&gt; colonies as compared to other treatments (P&amp;lt;0.05). Our results suggest that basil essential oil and Protexin could be of value to replace the antibiotics that have been banned as growth promoter in animal feeds.

Thyme and basil essential oils included in edible coatings as a natural preserving method of oilseed kernels.

Sunflower seeds are susceptible to developing rancidity and off-flavours through lipid oxidation. Edible coatings and essential oils have proven antioxidant properties in different food products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of using an edible coating and thyme and basil essential oils to preserve the chemical and sensory quality parameters of roasted sunflower seeds during storage. 50% DPPH inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.278 and 0.0997 µg mL(-1) were observed for thyme and basil, respectively. On storage day 40, peroxide values were 80.68, 70.28, 68.43, 49.31 and 33.87 mEq O2 kg(-1) in roasted sunflower seeds (RS), roasted sunflower seeds coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (RS-CMC), roasted sunflower seeds coated with CMC added with basil (RS-CMC-A), thyme (RS-CMC-T) and butylated hydroxytoluene (RS-CMC-BHT), respectively. RS-CMC-T and RS-CMC-BHT presented the lowest peroxide values, conjugated dienes and p-anisidine values during storage. RS-CMC-BHT, RS-CMC-T, and RS-CMC-A showed the lowest oxidized and cardboard flavour intensity ratings. On storage day 40, roasted sunflower flavour intensity ratings were higher in RS-CMC-T and RS-CMC-A. Thyme and basil essential oils added to the CMC coating improved the sensory stability of this product during storage, but only thyme essential oil increased their chemical stability.

Supercritical fluid extraction as an alternative process to obtain essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties from marjoram and sweet basil

The anti-inflammatory potential of marjoram and sweet basil essential oils obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was tested in vitro using THP-1 human macrophage cells. THP-1 cells were activated by lipopolysaccharide or human ox-LDL and the cytokine secretion and gene expression of, respectively, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 along with COX-2 and NFκB gene expression was evaluated. Results indicated that both marjoram and sweet basil essential oils at a concentration of 10μg/mL markedly suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and gene expression in LPS and ox-LDL THP-1 activation. The chemical composition of marjoram and basil extracts was evaluated and the activity of the main compounds was also tested for cytokine production and gene expression. We concluded that the anti-inflammatory activity of both oils is dedicated to their main compounds, respectively, sabinene hydrate and terpineol for marjoram and linalool and eugenol for sweet basil extracts. Furthermore, these results confirmed their application as anti-atherosclerotic agents.Main compounds presented in supercritical basil (linalool and eugenol) and marjoram (sabinene hydrate and terpineol) essential oils also presented an important anti-inflammatory activity, which allowed us to propose these compounds as responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity found in essential oils.In conclusion, SFE allowed to obtain sage and marjoram essential oils with significant anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, these supercritical essential oils have also shown an important anti-inflammatory effect in an atherosclerotic environment and presented a highly potential application in the prevention of atherosclerosis.

ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF VOLATILE COMPONENTS GENERATED BY ESSENTIAL OILS AGAINST THE GENUS PENICILLIUM ISOLATED FROM BAKERY PRODUCTS

The aim of this study was evaluation of the antifungal activity of 5 essential oils (EOs). We concretely used thyme, clove, basil, jasmine and rosemary EOs by vapor contact against the fungal species, namely Penicillium citrinum, P. chrysogenum, P. hordei, P. citreonigrum, and P. viridicatum and their ability to affect production of mycotoxins. Each fungus was inoculated in the centre on Czapek Yeast Autolysate Agar (CYA) dishes. Dishes were tightly sealed with parafilm and incubated for fourteen days at 25 ± 1 °C (three replicates were used for each treatment). Volatile phase effect of 50 μl of the essential oils was found to inhibit on growth of Penicillium spp.. Complete growth inhibition of the isolates by EOs of thyme and clove was observed. The EO of basil had antifungal effect on growth of P. citreonigrum only after 3rd and 7th day of the incubation at concentration 100 % of EO, like a P. viridicatum, which was inhibited by basil EO (100 %) in comparison with control sets. Data was evaluated statistically by 95.0 % Tukey HSD test. In this study we also tested potentional effect of EOs to affect production of mycotoxins of tested Penicillium isolates which are potential toxigenic fungi. After 14 days of incubation with EOs (100 %) with control sets, they were screened for a production of mycotoxins by TLC chromatography. Results showed non affecting production of mycotoxins by tested EOs. Conclusions indicate that volatile phase of combinations of thyme oil and clove oil showed good potential in the inhibition of growth of Penicillium spp. EOs should find a practical application in the inhibition of the fungal mycelial growth in some kind of the food.

THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF ESSENTIAL OILS ON THE GROWTH OF GENUS PENICILLIUM ISOLATED FROM PEANUTS BY CONTACT VAPOR

The aim of this study was evaluation of the antifungal activity of 5 essential oils (EOs). We used concretely thyme, clove, basil, jasmine and rosemary EOs by vapor contact against the fungal species, namely Penicillium citrinum (P1 – P2), P. crustosum (P3 – P4) and P. expansum (P5 – P6) and their ability to affect production of mycotoxins. Each fungus was inoculated in the center on Czapek Yeast Autolysate Agar (CYA) dishes. Dishes were tightly sealed with parafilm and incubated for fourteen days at 25 ± 1 °C (three replicates were used for each treatment). Volatile phase effect of 50 μl of the essential oils was found to inhibit on growth of Penicillium spp.. Fungicidal and fungistatic concentracions (MFC) were determined by microathmosphere method. Complete growth inhibition of the isolates by EOs of thyme and clove was observed. The most sensitive isolate was P. crustosum (P4) (P &lt; 0.05) The essential oils (EOs) of basil and rosemary had antifungal effect on growth of P. citrinum (P1 – P2) after 3 day of the incubation at concentration 100 % of EOs. The most resistant isolates were P. expansum (P5 – P6). Growth of these isolates was inhibited by thyme and clove EOs (100 %), like each other tested isolates, but with effective MFC concentration of 30 % (30/70; v/v) after all days of cultivation. Data were evaluated statistically by 95.0 % Tukey HSD test. In this stud, we also tested potential effect of EOs to affect production of mycotoxins of tested Penicillium isolates which are potential toxigenic fungi. After 14 days of incubation with EOs (100 %) with control sets, they were screened for a production of mycotoxins by TLC chromatography. Oils exhibited a various spectrum of fungal toxicity inhibit all tested species except the jasmine EO. The present study demonstrated the potential food preservative ability of the thyme, clove, basil, jasmine and rosemary EOs. The jasmine EO has none antifungal or anti – toxic activity.

Essential oil composition of five Basil cultivars (Ocimum basilicum) from Albania

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L., fam. Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal and aromatic plant with very wide range of uses. This paper presents qualitative and quantitative analyses of essential oils obtained from five types of Italian basil cultivars: Napolitan, Red basil, Fino Verde, Limonez, and Genoveze culltivated in Albania and collected during the summer 2012. The hydrodistilled BEO (Basil essential oil) content ranged from 0.11% to 3.40%. Within the total of 65 identified compounds with GC/FID/MS, nine were considered as predominant (1,8-cineole, linalool, cis-thujone, methyl chavicol, eugenol, trans-(E)-caryophyllene, trans-(α)-bergamotene, germacrene D, and epi-α-cadinol) representing 49.20 to 85.43% of the components in the analysed essential oils. In all cultivars, linalool was detected as the most abundant component (36.20-46.59%). BEO’s from all five cultivars differ in their chemical composition but generally conform to EO’s from Sweet Basil grown in the Medditeranean region. The Napolitan cultivar showed the largest similarity to Sweet Basil, not only for the morphology, also due to the essential oil composition that comprises Basil’s most dominant chemical components (linalool, methyl chavicol and eucalyptol) in particular percents.

English

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of leaf drying and oil storage on the content and chemical composition of the essential oil of linalool type basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivar Maria Bonita. In the first trial, the effect of the drying time of leaves a temperature of 40°C. In the second trial, the effect of storage time evaluated (0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 210, 240 and 270 days) at two temperatures [room (±27°C) and freezer (-20°C ± 2°C) temperature]. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation of leaves and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The drying process was efficient, reducing the moisture content 84.5% to 1.3% over a period of eight days. There was a linear reduction in the essential oil (6.0% to 3.9%), of linalool (6.38% to 74.09%), increase of the content of α–trans-bergamotene (1.1% to 1.8%) and epi-α-cadinol ( 1.57% to 1.77%). In the second trial, we noted increase of the linalool content from 76.99% to 79.40% after 210 days of storage at room temperature and to 79.82% after 240 days of storage in freezer. We can conclude that basil essential oil can be stored for up to seven months at room temperature and eight months in freezer.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil and extracts obtained by supercritical fluid extraction

The extracts obtained from sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) by hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were qualitative and quantitative analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Essential oil (EO) content of basil sample, determined by an official method, was 0.565% (V/w). The yields of basil obtained by SFE were from 0.719 to 1.483% (w/w), depending on the supercritical fluid (carbon dioxide) density (from 0.378 to 0.929 g mL-1). The dominant compounds detected in all investigated samples (EO obtained by hydrodistillation and different SFE extracts) were: linalool, as the major compound of basil EO (content from 10.14 to 49.79%, w/w), eugenol (from 3.74 to 9.78%) and ?-cardinene (from 3.94 to 8.07%). The quantitative results of GC-MS from peak areas and by GC-FID using external standard method involving main standards, were compared and discussed.

Antimicrobial activity of sweet basil and thyme against salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in egg-based pasta

Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis is known as one of the most common pathogenic bacteria causing sal- monellosis in humans. Raw materials of animal origin (eggs, chicken meat) are frequent vectors that transmit this bacte- rium. Since eggs are used for the production of pasta, due to insufficient thermal treatment during pasta drying, they can be a potential risk to consumer health. Different essential oils of herbs can be used to reduce present pathogenic microor - ganisms. This paper compares a decrease in the number of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (D) ATCC 13076 and Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis isolated from outbreaks of salmonellosis in egg-based pasta under the influence of thyme and sweet basil essential oils. The results indicate that the utilized oils were more effective against the epidemic strain than the ATCC strain. In addition, thyme oil caused a more significant inhibition of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis during the production process.

Adubação foliar no desenvolvimento e produção de óleo essencial de manjericão

RESUMO O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o desenvolvimento e a produção de óleo essencial de manjericão com a aplicação de adubo foliar em Londrina-PR. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados com três doses de adubo foliar (0, 2 e 4 L.ha-1) e sete repetições. Foram realizadas três colheitas durante o desenvolvimento do experimento. Os cortes ocorreram no início do florescimento, a altura do oitavo nó aos 40, 80 e 120 dias após o transplantio. Avaliou-se a altura, área foliar, produção de massa seca de folhas e rendimento de óleo essencial. A aplicação de 4 L ha-1 do adubo foliar proporcionou os maiores acréscimos na produção de massa seca de folhas e no rendimento de óleo essencial até o segundo corte das plantas de manjericão. A renovação da cultura se faz necessária a partir do terceiro corte.

Essential Oils, Silver Nanoparticles and Propolis as Alternative Agents Against Fluconazole Resistant Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei Clinical Isolates.

Development of effective and safe therapeutic treatment of fungal infections remains one of the major challenge for modern medicine. The aim of presented investigation was to analyze the in vitro antifungal activity of selected essential oils, ethanolic extracts of propolis and silver nanoparticles dropped on TiO2 against azole-resistant C. albicans (n=20), C. glabrata (n=14) and C. krusei (n=10) clinical isolates. Among tested essential oils, the highest activity has definitely been found in the case of the oil isolated from the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, with MIC and MFC values for all tested strains in the range of 0.0006-0.0097% (v/v) and 0.0012-0.019% (v/v), respectively. High activity was also observed for the Lemon, Basil, Thyme, Geranium and Clove (from buds) essential oils. Significant differences in fungicidal activity have been observed in the case of four tested propolis samples. Only one of them revealed high activity, with MFC values in the range from 0.156 to 1.25% (v/v). Satisfactory fungicidal activity, against C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates, was also observed in the case of silver nanoparticles, however C. krusei isolates were mostly resistant. We also revealed that constituents of most of essential oils and propolis as well as silver nanoparticles are not substrates for drug transporters, which belong to the most important factors affecting resistance of Candida spp. clinical isolates to many of conventional antimycotics. To conclude, the results of our investigation revealed that essential oils, propolis and silver nanoparticles represent high potential for controlling and prevention candidiasis.

Application of &lt;i&gt;Ocimum basilicum&lt;/i&gt; Essential Oil as Vapor on Postharvest Storage of Plum Fruit cv. ‘Golden Drop’

Increased interest in theuse of natural compounds instead of chemicals is due to concerns about the effect of synthetic ingredients on humans’ health and over environment. Therefore, in this study essential oil from Ocimum basilicum as a natural and safe compound, was applied at three levels (100, 200 and 300 μl/l) as vapor and its effects on postharvest quality and storage life of ‘Golden Drop’ plums was evaluated. After application of treatments, the fruits were stored at +1 °C and 80-85% relative humidity for 42 days. During the storage period, samplings were carried out every week and to simulate market condition, they were kept at room temperate for 24 h. Then some of the qualitative and quantitative traits, such as total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, weight loss, firmness, ascorbic acid, total antioxidants, as well as color (L*, hue angle) were measured. Results showed that the basil essential oil contributed to a better maintenance of

Fumigant toxicity of basil oil compounds and related compounds to Thrips palmi and Orius strigicollis.

This study was aimed at assessing the fumigant toxicity to adult Thrips palmi (a serious insect pest) and Orius strigicollis (a beneficial predator insect) of basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oil compounds and structurally related compounds using vapour-phase toxicity bioassays. Against adult T. palmi, linalool (LD50 0.0055 mg cm(-3) ) was the most toxic fumigant and was 15.2-fold more effective than dichlorvos (0.0837 mg cm(-3) ). Strong fumigant toxicity was also observed in pulegone (0.0095 mg cm(-3) ), (±)-camphor (0.0097 mg cm(-3) ) and 1,8-cineole (0.0167 mg cm(-3) ). Moderate toxicity was produced by camphene, 3-carene, (-)-menthone, (+)-α-pinene, (+)-β-pinene, α-terpineol and (-)-α-thujone (0.0215-0.0388 mg cm(-3) ). Against adult O. strigicollis, dichlorvos (LD50 9.0 × 10(-10) mg cm(-3) ) was the most toxic fumigant, whereas the LD50 values of these compounds ranged from 0.0127 to >0.23 mg cm(-3) . Based upon the selective toxicity ratio, the compounds described are more selective than dichlorvos. The basil oil compounds described merit further study as potential insecticides for control of T. palmi in greenhouses because of their generally lower toxicity to O. strigicollis and their greater activity as a fumigant than dichlorvos.

Comparative efficacy of Ocimum sanctum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. essential oils against amyloid beta (1–42)-induced anxiety and depression in laboratory rats

The present study analyzed the possible anxiolytic and antidepressant proprieties of inhaled basil essential oils extracted from Ocimum sanctum L. (Os) and Ocimum basilicum L. (Ob) in β-amyloid (1–42) rat model of Alzheimer’s disease. The anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of inhaled basil essential oils were studied by means of in vivo (elevated plus-maze and forced swimming tests) approaches. The β-amyloid (1–42)-treated rats exhibited the following: decrease of the exploratory activity (number of crossing), the percentage of the time spent and the number of entries in the open arm within elevated plus-maze test and increase of the swimming time and decrease of the immobility time within forced swimming test. The chemical composition varied from one sample to another. The main compounds found in both samples were linalool (31 %–Ob, 19 %–Os), camphor, β-elemene, α-bergamotene and bornyl-acetate, estragole (15.57 and 7.59 %, respectively), eugenol (2.64 and 1.39 %, respectively) and 1,8-cineole (3.29 and 3.90 %, respectively). As a result, exposure to basil essential oils significantly improved the behavior of the animals, suggesting anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. Our results suggest that multiple exposures to basil essential oils can be useful as a mean to counteract anxiety and depression in Alzheimer’s disease conditions.

Thermal and oxidative stability of the Ocimum basilicum L. essential oil/β-cyclodextrin supramolecular system

Ocimum basilicum L. essential oil and its β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) complex have been investigated with respect to their stability against the degradative action of air/oxygen and temperature. This supramolecular system was obtained by a crystallization method in order to achieve the equilibrium of complexed–uncomplexed volatile compounds in an ethanol/water solution at 50 °C. Both the raw essential oil and its β-CD complex have been subjected to thermal and oxidative degradation conditions in order to evaluate the protective capacity of β-CD. The relative concentration of the O. basilicum L. essential oil compounds, as determined by GC–MS, varies accordingly with their sensitivity to the thermal and/or oxidative degradation conditions imposed. Furthermore, the relative concentration of the volatile O. basilicum L. compounds found in the β-CD complex is quite different in comparison with the raw material. An increase of the relative concentration of linalool oxide from 0.3% to 1.1%, in addition to many sesquiterpene oxides, has been observed. β-CD complexation of the O. basilicum essential oil modifies the relative concentration of the encapsulated volatile compounds. Thus, linalool was better encapsulated in β-CD, while methylchavicol (estragole) was encapsulated in β-CD at a concentration close to that of the raw essential oil. Higher relative concentrations from the degradation of the oxygenated compounds such as linalool oxide and aromadendren oxide were determined in the raw O. basilicum L. essential oil in comparison with the corresponding β-CD complex. For the first time, the protective capability of natural β-CD for labile basil essential oil compounds has been demonstrated.