Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oils of Twelve Ocimum basilicum L. Cultivars Grown in Serbia

This study evaluated the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of twelve Ocimum basilicum L. cultivars grown in Serbia. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and GC-mass spectrometry. The oil yields ranged from 0.65 to 1.90 %. A total of 75 compounds were identified as constituents of analyzed essential oils. GC/MS analyses revealed that a majority of the examined basil cultivars belonged to the "linalool chemotype". The results of the DPPH assay showed a very high antioxidant capacity of the basil oils, which was especially high for Blue Spice cultivar (IC50 = 0.03 mu g/mL). Significant antimicrobial activity was shown for all the tested oils. Essential oil of Compact cultivar was the most active against the bacterium Micrococcus flavus, with an MIC value of 0.009 mu g/mL while Osmin cultivar exhibited the strongest antifungal activity with MIC values ranging from 0.08-1.07 mu g/mL. All the examined essential oils showed a 10-to 100-fold greater ability to inhibit fungal growth compared to commercial antifungal agents.