FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, VOL.

1, 53-55 (1986)

Essential Oils from Fijian Ocimum basilicum L.

J. J. Brophy
Department of Organic Chemistry, University of New South Wales, P.O. Box 1, Kensington, Australia

M. K. Jogia*
Department of Chemistry, The University of the South Pacific, P.O.Box 1168, Suva, Fiji

The composition of the steam-volatile leaf oils of Fijian O c i m u m basilicum L. (sweet basil) has been determined by
the use of capillary gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The major components of the oils are
methyl cinnamate, linalool, methyleugenol and eugenol.

KEYWORDS O c i m u m basilicum Methyl cinnamate Linalool

INTRODUCTION was decided to investigate the locally grown

Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil) is cultivated
commercially in many countries (e.g. India,
France, Morocco, Italy) mainly for its essential oil
which is used extensively in the pharmaceutical
and cosmetics industries. The medicinal proper-
ties of the plant are highlighted by its use as a
carminative and stimulant. The seeds are said to
have demulcent and diuretic properties’ and the
oil’s pleasant odour is responsible for its use in
expensive perfumes, liqueurs and expensive sea-
sonings. ’
Ocimum basilicum (known as ‘Tamole’
amongst the indigenous Fijians and as ‘Devna’
amongst the local Indians) is an introduced
species to Fiji and recognized as a useful
therapeutic agent among these peoples.
A number of different chemo-types of sweet
basil exist. Varieties rich in methyl cinnamate,
linalool, 1,&cineole, methylchavicol and eugenol
have been established.%’In earlier work on Fijian
0. sanctum L., also an introduced species, several
chemotypes were found.6 In view of this result it
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
0882-5734/86/020053-03SO5.00
0 1986 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
0. basilicum.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Four samples of 0. basilicum were collected from
around Suva in Fiji. Analysis of the freshly
extracted steam volatile oils by means of capillary
gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) and mass
spectrometry (MS) indicated two chemotypes.
One of these was found to be rich in methyl cin-
namate (up to 80 per cent) while the other con-
tained significant quantities of linalool, methyl-
eugenol and eugenol. A total of 33 compounds
was detected in the two chemotypes of which 30
have been identified. Of the 33 compounds 22 are
common to both chemotypes (see Table 1).
Chemotype 1 contained up to 70 percent of
(E)-methyl cinnamate with approx. 9 per cent of
the (Z)-isomer as the second most abundant
component. There were lesser amounts of
methyleugenol (3 per cent) and linalool (4-10
per cent). One sample of this chemotype also con-
tained small amounts of some monoterpenes
while another sample contained instead small
amounts of sesquiterpenes. This chemotype is
consistent with one reported previo~sly.~~’
Received 26 July 1985
Accepted 2 September I985
54 J. J. BROPHY AND M. K. JOGlA

Table 1 . Percentage composition of Fijian Ocimum EXPERIMENTAL

basilicum essential oil
Collection of Plant Material and Isolation of
Compound Chemotype 2 Chemotype 1
Volatile Oils
a-Pinene - - tr
/I-Pinene - - tr
Sabinene - - tr Fresh leaves of flowering Ocimum basilicum
Myrcene tr - tr (green leaves, purple flowers) were collected
Limonene - - tr
1,8-Cineole from around Suva. The leaves (100 g) were steam
a-Terpinene tr - 4.6 distilled until there was no significant increase in
rrons-fl-Ocimene the volume of oil collected. Most of the oil was
Terpinolene tr -
Fenchone tr - 1.3 obtained within 4 h; however, the distillation was
Fenchyl acetate tr - continued for at least 6 h. The yield of the colour-
Fenchyl alcohol tr - tr less oil from each strain was about 0.2 per cent.
a-Cubebene tr - tr
B-Bourbonene - - tr
Linalool 22.3 4.1-10.3
B-Elemene
Caryophyllene
Aromadendrene
CISH24
Methylchavicol
I 4.5

tr
tr
tr-5.8
-
-
Identification of Oil Components

Analytical gas-liquid chromatography (GLC)

6-Terpineol
Humulene
C1SH24
a-Terpineol
Germacrene D
I
Bicy clogermacrene
tr

tr
-
tr
tr

-
-
-
tr
tr
tr
was conducted on a Perkin-Elmer Sigma 3B
chromatography using a 3 m x 2 mm i.d. glass
column containing 15 per cent Carbowax 20M on
Chromosorb W with nitrogen as carrier gas at
y-Cadinene tr - tr
30 ml/min. Individual runs were temperature
(Z)-Methyl cinnamate 4.5 7.6-1 1.2 programmed from 120 to 180°C at 5"C/min fol-
Methyleugenol 24.7 2.3-4.1 lowing an initial holding period of 4 min at
(E)-Methyl cinnamate 23.6 64.5-68.6
Eugenol 3.2 - 120°C. The major individual components were
c ISH260 tr 1.3-1.9 tentatively identified by their retention times and
co-injection with authentic compounds. A Per-
-, Compound not detected; tr, < 1%. kin-Elmer LCI-100 computing integrator was
used to determine the percentage composition.
The second chemotype encountered differed Gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy
from the first in that it contained a much higher (GLC/MS) determinations were carried out with
amount of linalool (22 percent) and methyl- a Shimadzu GC6-AMP gas chromatograph
eugenol (25 per cent), and significantly smaller equipped with a FFAP coated SCOT column
amounts of the ( E ) - and (Z)-isomers of methyl (105 m x 0.5 mm i.d.) using helium as carrier
cinnamate (23.6 per cent and 4.5 per cent). This gas. The gas chromatograph was programmed
chemotype also contained small quantities of from 70 to 230°C at 3"C/min; and the mass
sesquiterpenes but, with the exception of linalool, spectrometer, an AE1 MS12, was operated at
only trace amounts of monoterpenes. 70 eV with the ion source at 200°C. Spectra were
Varieties of 0. basilicum which are grown acquired and processed by a VG Degispec display
commercially and used in perfumery are usually data system.
rich in methylchavicol and linalool. Neither of the
chemotypes investigated in this survey, however, Acknowledgements-The authors thank Dr E. V.
contained any appreciable amount of methyl- Lassak, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji,
chavicol and only one chemotype contained a sig- for helpful discussion and critically reading the
nificant quantity of linalool. This suggests that the manuscript; and Dr R. W. Johnson, Queensland
essential oils of Fijian 0. basilicum are not com- Herbarium, Australia, for botanical identifica-
mercially viable. tion.
 ESSENTIAL OILS FROM FIJIAN OCIMUM BASILICUM L. 55

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ceedings of the 8th International Congress of Essential Oils
Cannes, France, p. 111 (1980).
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