Estimating the quantitative content of active compounds of Iraqi basil seeds Ocimum basilcum L

Abstract

The active compounds of basil seeds (Iraqi Ocimum basilicum L.) were studied using four extracts: cold and hot aqueous extracts, petroleum ether, and methanol. Phenolic and flavonoid content was studied using quantitative standard curves, and amino acids, water, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals were identified and measured. The results showed that it contains many active compounds and unsaturated fatty acids, both of which are important in the human diet. Basil extracts contained phenols and flavonoids, and the petroleum ether extract contained 9 active compounds, most notably oxygenated monoterpenes, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, alkanes, and the unsaturated fatty acids linolenic and linoleic. The methanol extract showed the presence of 8 fatty acids, the most prominent of which is the unsaturated fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, which amounted to 36%, followed by the fatty acid linoleic acid, which amounted to 9.04%. It also showed the presence of 13 amino acids, including 6 essential amino acids: phenylalanine (11.5%), leucine, histidine, tryptophan, isoleucine, and threonine, and 7 non-essential amino acids: glutamic, tyrosine, glycine, alanine, arginine, serine, and cysteine, in addition to containing many vitamins. The results also showed that it contains calcium, silicon, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and sulfur, with lower percentages of iron and zinc, and almost no traces of toxic elements such as cadmium and lead.