Phytochemical Identification and Anti-Oxidant Study of Essential Oil Constituents of Ocimum basilicum L. Growing in Iraq

Introduction: Essential oil of Iraqi growing Ocimum basilicum (Thia basil) was studied for their chemical components investigation and antioxidant activity. Methods: Essential oils of leaves and stems of Ocimum basilicum were collected using hydrodistillation by Clevenger apparatus. Components of the collected essential oils were examined by the techniques such as Gas chromatography and Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results: The analysis showed that the major components of essential oils were linalool (48.69%), 1,8-cineole (14.00%), trans-α-bergamotene (8.23%) and eugenol (6.64%). The antioxidant investigation was achieved using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as a radical scavenger and bleaching of β-carotene/linoleic assay. The essential oil displayed strong inhibition with 110.8% against autoxidation of linoleic acid, while the scavenging of DPPH radical gave a value of IC₅₀ 145.35 μg/mL. Conclusion: The results signify that essential oils of O. Basilicum could be used for pharmaceutical studies and preservative in the food industry. This is the first study of the essential components of new cultivate of Thai basil in Iraq.