Chemical Characterization and Genetic Relationships among Ocimum basilicum L. Cultivars

Abstract

Twenty-seven Ocimum basilicum cultivars were subjected to a chemical characterization of essential oil components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and a genetic characterization using the amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Since the same 27 accessions had previously been classified into six morphotypes, these analyses allowed us to make detailed comparisons of chemistry, genetics, and morphology. The chemical composition and morphology of the studied cultivars appeared to have a strong genetic component. The AFLP analysis revealed a distinction between the green and purple morphotypes. The green morphotypes predominantly utilized the terpene biosynthetic pathway, while most purple morphotypes primarily utilized the phenylpropene biosynthetic pathway. The GC/MS analysis led to identification of 87 volatiles. Among the 27 cultivars, five chemotypes were identified. A detailed characterization of the essential oil constituents indicated the existence of both specific combinations of compounds and 'private' compounds with the potential to be used in many aspects of human life. The established relationship between a genetic profile, chemical composition, and morphology represents an important step in future breeding programs and in the cultivation of this species.

Light Quality Dependent Changes in Morphology, Antioxidant Capacity, and Volatile Production in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

“…Every week leaf and stem growth along with the appearance of new leaf-pairs was measured (Figure 1A). Based on reported literature and empirical attempts, analytical methods were developed to collect, separate, identify, and relatively quantify 62 volatile molecules (Table S1) (Lee et al, 2005; Liber et al, 2011; Pirmoradi et al, 2013). These 62 volatiles can be classified into five major chemical classes: carboxylic acid esters (or monocarboxylic acids), fatty acyls (which include fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols and fatty aldehydes), monoterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and sesquiterpenoids.…”

“…Yield and aroma composition are fundamental for basil growers, and the basis for its sensory qualities is well established. Ocimum species are polyploid, and basil's delicate flavors result from complex combinations between dozens of chemical compounds (Liber et al, 2011; Pirmoradi et al, 2013). Constant demand for new flavors led to numerous breeding approaches that have created many varieties with distinct chemical compositions.…”

Evaluation of basil extract ( Ocimum basilicum L.) on oxidative, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects in human leukocytes cell cultures exposed to challenging agents

“…Researchers have also tried to establish a standard of composition for basil, both in the extract and in oil, but the existence of more than 25 different types of O. basilicum, with many constitutional differences (Lee et al, 2005;Liber et al, 2011) makes the task impossible.…”

Chemotaxonomic Analysis of the Aroma Compounds in Essential Oils of Two Different Ocimum basilicum L. Varieties from Iran

“…Indeed, Zhang et al [28] reported that the oil compositions in O. basilicum might alter with the change of their geographical distributions and environmental effects. The found relationships between the genetic profile, the chemical composition, and the morphology represent an important step in future breeding programs and in the cultivation of O. basilicum L. species [22]. Therefore, for a valuable comparison, plants should be grown under as identical and similar conditions as possible; in particular because the amount of plant material needed for chemotaxonomic studies is usually small and the different methods of extraction do not seem to have much effect on the essential-oil quality [14].…”