Application of response surface methodology to optimize pressurized liquid extraction of antioxidant compounds from sage (Salvia officinalis L.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.)

The present study optimized pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) conditions using Dionex ASE? 200, USA to maximize the antioxidant activity [Ferric ion Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP)] and total polyphenol content (TP) of the extracts from three spices of Lamiaceae family (sage, basil and thyme). Optimal conditions with regard to extraction temperature (66-129 °C) and solvent concentration (32-88% methanol) were identified using response surface methodology (RSM). For all three spices, results showed that 129 °C was the optimum temperature with regard to antioxidant activity. Optimal methanol concentrations with respect to the antioxidant activity of sage and basil extracts were 58% and 60% respectively. Thyme showed a different trend with regard to methanol concentration and was optimally extracted at 33%. Antioxidant activity yields of the optimal PLE were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than solid/liquid extracts. Predicted models were highly significant (p < 0.05) for both total phenol (TP) and FRAP values in all the spices with high regression coefficients (R(2)) ranging from 0.651 to 0.999.     

Retracted: Temperature affects flavour intensity and quality of aroma in fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaves

Retraction: The following article from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture , ‘Temperature affects flavour intensity and quality of aroma in fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaves’ by Xianmin Chang, Peter G Alderson, Tracey A Hollowood, Louise Hewson, and Charles J Wright, published online on 19 October 2005 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, David S. Reid and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to overlap between this article and the following article published in the The Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology ; ‘Effect of temperature integration on the growth and volatile oil content of Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)’ by Xianmin Chang, Peter G Alderson and Charles J Wright. Volume 80 Issue 5, 2005, pages 593 – 598     

Assessment of agronomic, chemical and genetic variability in common basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

In the present work, agro-morphological characteristics, essential oil composition and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were studied to estimate the relationships among 12 basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) genotypes, belonging to nine known cultivars grown in Italy. The basil cultivars were distinguished on the basis of agro-morphological determinations and constituents of essential oil. Chemical compounds of essential oils were found variable in the various basil cultivars. As a consequence, the plants were classified into main phenotypes and chemotypes. RAPD markers were used in order to assess the genetic relatedness among the basil cultivars. On the basis of their genetic similarities, RAPD analysis allowed to group the samples into two main clusters. One of these included cultivars suitable for food industry, which were also correlated via agro-morphological features. However, the same cultivars produced distinct essential oil profiles, which did not match with results obtained by agronomic and genetic analysis. This fact, maybe, is due to a different genic expression of the key enzymes involved in biosynthetic pathways that produce chemical compounds.     

The effect of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) on soil organic matter biodegradation and other soil chemical properties

The effects of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) on soil organic matter biodegradation, nutritional mineral elements and bacterial colonies were studied in the laboratory. The air‐dried basil plant tissues incorporated at five different rates (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g per 50 g of soil) resulted in increases in organic carbon mineralization, mineral nitrogen forms in organic phosphorus and available potassium. The level of available forms of manganese and zinc was increased at all the rates of added basil whereas copper was increased at the two upper rates. Also, the addition of basil resulted in a decrease in soil bacterial colonies. The results of this study indicated that the basil could be used as a cover crop for suppressing weed or pathogens in organic soils, with a positive effect on soil productivity. In addition, the incorporation of basil in soil could reduce the number of bacterial colonies. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Volatile oil composition of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivating in Turkey (Short communication)

Sweet basil is one of the most widespread spices in the world. Its dried leaves are used commonly as a flavouring in many food products [1]. A number of different types of basil oil have found and achieved economic importance. European basil oil contains approximately equal proportions of estragole (methyl chavicol) and linalool. Exotic or Reunion basil is an oil rich in methyl chavicol. Methyl cinnamate basil is, as its name suggests, an oil rich in methyl cinnamate. And finally, eugenol basil oil contains eugenol in high percentages [2]. Basil is a spice plant cultivated in some parts of Turkey, and used in soups, desserts, pickles etc. as a flavouring agent. However, no studies have been conducted 90 far on Turkish plant and volatile oil. Therefore, the object of this work was to study the volatile oil composition of Turkish sweet basil cultivated in Erzurum region (East Turkey) having cold climate conditions.     

Variation in the volatile terpenoids of two industrially important basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars during plant ontogeny in two different cropping seasons from India

BACKGROUND: Two Ocimum basilicum cultivars, ‘Vikarsudha’ and ‘CIM‐Saumya’, grown in the Kumaon region of western Himalaya were evaluated for their essential oil yield and composition at different stages of plant growth during two distinct cropping seasons (spring–summer and rain–autumn). RESULTS: The highest yield of essential oil was obtained at full bloom stage in both cultivars in both cropping seasons. The essential oils obtained from different stages in two cropping seasons were analysed by capillary gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The major component of cultivar ‘Vikarsudha’ was methyl chavicol (84.3–94.3%), while for cultivar ‘CIM‐Saumya’ the main components were methyl chavicol (62.5–77.6%) and linalool (14.4–34.1%). CONCLUSION: This study clearly indicated that cultivar, cropping season, plant ontogeny and plant part had significant effects on the yield and quality of the essential oil of O. basilicum. Further, the amount of methyl chavicol in the cultivars grown in this region was higher than in cultivars from other parts of India. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

High resolution gas chromatographic - mass-spectrometric determination of the flavour composition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivated in Finland

High-resolution gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to analyse the composition of the volatile oil of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivated in Finland. Of the 54 compounds identified, seven are now reported for the first time as basil constituents. The effect of growth location, nitrogen fertilizer supply and cultivation under cover vs. open field on the yield and composition of the essential oil is discussed. The increase of total oil production observed under certain cultivation conditions mainly reflects the increased production of certain aroma components rather than all of them. Depending on the chemotype, estragol or eugenol increased the most, whereas linalool production was significantly less affected.[/p]     

Changes produced in the aroma compounds and structural integrity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L) during drying

The influence of drying on the aroma compounds, from a chemical and sensory standpoint, and on the structural integrity of basil (Ocimum basilicum L) was evaluated. The drying methods tested were oven drying at 45 °C, air drying at room temperature and freeze‐drying. The volatile compounds of fresh and dried basil were extracted and concentrated by simultaneous distillation/extraction and analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In all, 27 volatile components were identified, linalool being the major component, followed by eugenol. The total quantity of volatiles of fresh basil decreased considerably during oven drying and freeze‐drying, whereas air drying of basil at room temperature brought about only small losses of volatile components. The cell damage produced on basil leaves during drying was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. From a sensory standpoint, fresh basil was described as having a fresh, herbaceous and floral odour, while the dried samples had a mentholated, spicy, hay‐like and earthy odour. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chicoric acid levels in commercial basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Echinacea purpurea products

Fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum) leaves contain chicoric acid, which is the principal phenolic compound in Echinacea purpurea and purportedly an active ingredient in dietary supplements derived from E. purpurea. Here the concentrations of chicoric acid in dried and fresh basil products available to consumers, and how these concentrations compare to those from E. purpurea are reported. A wide range of chicoric acid concentrations (6.48–242.50 mg/100 g or 100 mL) were found in the dried basil flakes, fresh basil leaves, E. purpurea extracts, and E. purpurea capsules. Fresh basil leaves had higher concentrations of chicoric acid than dried basil flakes. Although E. purpurea extracts and capsules contained higher concentrations of chicoric acid than fresh basil leaves, basil could be an economical and more readily available source for chicoric acid for consumers. Additionally, cultivar selection, dehydration processing improvements, and proper storage methods may improve the final chicoric acid levels of future basil crops and products.     

Optimisation study of gum extraction from Basil seeds (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Basil seed ( Ocimum basilicum L.) is cultivated in large quantities in different regions of Iran. This seed has reasonable amounts of gum with good functional properties which is comparable with commercial food hydrocolloids. A central composite rotatable design was applied to evaluate the effects of temperature, pH and water/seed ratio on the yield, apparent viscosity and protein content of water-extracted Basil seed gum. All of the variables significantly ( P  < 0.05) affected the extraction yield, whereas the effect of water/seed ratio on apparent viscosity and the effects of pH and water/seed ratio on protein content were not significant ( P  > 0.05). Numerical optimisation determined the optimum extraction conditions based on the highest yield and viscosity and the lowest protein content as being temperature 68.71 °C, pH 8.09 and water/seed ratio 65.98:1. Power law model well described non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behaviour of BSG. Flow behaviour index ( n ) and consistency index ( K ) of 1% crude and pure BSG samples were 0.306, 0.283 and 17.46, 20.22 Pa s ⁿ , respectively.     

Encapsulation of thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.) aqueous extract in calcium alginate beads

BACKGROUND: Encapsulation of Thymus serpyllum L. aqueous extract within calcium alginate beads was studied in order to produce dosage formulations containing polyphenolic compounds. Electrostatic extrusion was applied for encapsulation of thyme aqueous extract in alginate gel beads. In addition to hydrogel beads, heat‐dried and freeze‐dried forms of beads were examined. METHODS: Encapsulation systems were examined and compared in order to choose the optimal one with respect to entrapment efficiency, preservation of antioxidant activity and thermal behaviour under heating conditions simulating the usual food processing. RESULTS: The beads obtained with approximately 2 mg g^?1 of gallic acid equivalents encapsulated in 0.015 g mL^?1 of alginate were spheres of a uniform size of about 730 µm. Encapsulation efficiency varied in the range 50‐80% depending on the encapsulation method. Besides, the analysis reveals that the encapsulation process and the material used did not degrade the bioactive compounds, as the total antioxidant content remained unchanged. This was verified by Fourier transform infrared analysis, which proved the absence of chemical interactions between extracted compounds and alginate. Addition of a filler substance, such as sucrose and inulin, in the dried product reduced its collapse and roundness distortion during drying process. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the potential of using hydrogel material for encapsulation of plant poplyphenols to improve their functionality and stability in food products. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optimising the ice cream formulation using basil seed gum (Ocimum basilicum L.) as a novel stabiliser to deliver improved processing quality

Mixture design was used to determine the optimum ratio as well as concentration of basil seed gum (BSG), guar gum (GG) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) in the formulation of ice cream stabilisers. Predicted equations and contour plots of physicochemical responses were also generated. Generally, increasing the ratio of BSG in gums mixture increased the apparent viscosity of ice cream mixes and decreased the melting rate. Increasing the proportion of GG at concentration of 0.35% enhanced overrun of samples. High ratios of BSG at concentration of 0.35% and CMC at concentration of 0.15% increased the fat destabilisation in ice creams. Combination of 84.31% BSG and 15.69% CMC at concentration of 0.35% proposed as optimum formulation which verified in practice. Introducing BSG as a novel source of stabiliser could be promising as alternative and improve the quality and diversity of ice cream and related products.