Physicochemical study of samples of basil from sudan

Abstract

This research was aimed to study two samples of fresh basil leaves (Ocimum basilicum L and Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum). The leaves of sweet basil have sufficient amount of water, protein, ash fibre and fat. Result of this study indicated that leaves of Ocimum basilicum L was a large value of water content (87.140%) nevertheless, Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum was excellent source of other nutritive composition. The output of proximate analysis of Ocimum basilicum L was found as water content (87.140%) > fibre (5.88%)>protein (3.5%)>ash (3%)> fat (0.4%). The proximate analysis of Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum was shown the percentage of water content (80.463%) >fibre (9.62%) >protein (4.375%)>ash (3.9%)> fat (0.6%). The constituent of basil leaves can be used as potent nutrient of major minerals such as Na, K, Ca,Mg, Mn and minor elements such as Zn, Cu and Fe in the diet. The analysis of leaves were determined and the result showed that , the presence if higher amount of K was found in Ocimum basilicum L while the greater amounts of other minerals were found in Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum. The percentage of mineral elements content in Ocimum basilicum L were: K (0.112%)>Na (0.053%) > Mg (0.06%) >Ca (0.04%)> Fe (0.009%)> Zn (0.0002%) > Mn (0.00017%)> Cu (0.00012%) whereas, the elements of Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum were:Na (0.107%) >Ca (0.09%)> Mg (0.07%) > K(0.057%) Fe (0.01%)> Zn (0.0003%) > Cu (0.00015%) and Mn not detected .that demonstrate the Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum is a food source of Na while Ocimum basilicum L is a good source of K all in all, that gave the basil importance of food . The chemical composition of the volatile oils of the leaves of fresh basil were obtained by hydro distillation then analyzed by GC-MS, due to that however, the yield of Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum was (2.3%). v The volatile oil were characterized by (GC-MS);the most common compounds of Ocimum basilicum L were Eugenol (39.11%) , Caryophyllene(30.39%) ,Naphthalene (24.21%),Caryophyllene oxide (1.85%) and Humlene (1.54%). Eugenol was the major constituent of the volatile oil of Ocimum basilicum L. Nonetheless, the major constituent of the volatile oil of Ocimumbasilicm charmandaschricum was Estragole (47.6%) followed by Bicyclo [3.1.1] hept-2-ene,2,6-dimethyle-6- (13.17%), 1,6-octadien-3-ol,3,7 dimethyl- (10.81%), Eucalyptol (7.65%), Tau-cadinol(6.05%) , phenol,2-methoxy- 4-(2-propenyl)-acetate (2.84%), Gamma (1.88%) and Cyclohexene 1- ethenyl-2,4-bis (1.02%).