Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Ocimum gratissimum L. Leaves
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Date
2017
Authors
Njoku, I.O.
Asekun, O.T.
Familoni, O.B.
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Abstract
The drying of the leaves of aromatic plants before extraction to reduce moisture content leads to the loss of
many compounds which are dragged to the leaf surface by the evaporating water. In this research, the
essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum leaves dried by different methods was obtained by hydrodistillation and
analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry. The air-dried, sun-dried and oven-dried leaves yielded
1.33 %, 0.58 % and 0.59 % of the essential oils, respectively, whereas the percentage of oils was 0.61 % in
the fresh plant material. The essential oils of O. gratissimum were composed mainly of monoterpenes and
sequiterpenes. The percentage composition of major constituents in the dried leaves also varied; air-dried-:
caryophyllene oxide (11.84 %), sun-dried-: terpinene-4-ol (17.98 %), and oven-dried-: β–myrcene (12.11 %).
The most abundant component in the fresh leaves oil umbellulone (14.68 %) was absent in the dried leaves
oils. The yields and chemical compositions of the essential oils obtained from O. gratissimum were affected
to varying degrees by the methods of drying used.
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Keywords
Research Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES::Chemistry::Organic chemistry , Ocimum gratissimum , hydrodistillation , monoterpenes , β-humulene
Citation
Njoku, I. O., Asekun, O. T., & Familoni, O. B. (2017). Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Ocimum gratissimum L. Leaves. Nig. J. Pure & Appl. Sci, 30, 3109-3115.