Preparation of Mosquitos Repelling Cream From Gum Arabic, Shea Butter and Ocimum basilicum L. Oil

Abstract

The aim of this study is to extract volatile oil from leaves of Ocimum basilicum L. Purple, and determine the chemical components. It also aimed at preparing cream using Gum Arabic and basil oil, and shea butter and testing its efficiency as a mosquitoe repellent at10% concentration. Ocimum basilicum L. purple gave a 1.5% yield of essential oil. The chemical composition of the oil( investigated by GC-MS) showed that it contained fifty sixconistuents.The main components were1.6-Octadien-3-ol,3,7-dimethyl(18.01%), methyleugenol(13.00%), geraniol (11.33%), cineole (8.33%), D- carvone (6.95%), benzoic acid,4-ethenyl-,methyl ester(4.21%), geranyle acetate (3.84%), tau cadinol (2.86%), D-limonene (2.45%), gamma-muurolene(2.15%), Some of the physicochemical properties of the extracted essential oil were determined: pale yellow colour, refractive index ( 1.49), density ) 0.91g/cm3), viscosity (3.37), saponification value (109), Iodine number (31.7), total acid number ( 2.8), peroxide value (0.0). Acacia senegal var senegal gum and shea butter were used to prepare a stable emulsion(cream). The cream showed 100%repellency at 10% concentration of Ocimum basilicum L purple.