Essential Oil Composition of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. from Algeria.

The constituents of essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation of the overground parts of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. from Algeria were examined by GC and GC-MS. A total of 46 and 43 components were identified accounting for 99.4 % and 97.7 % of O. basilicum and O. gratissimum oils, respectively. The oil of O. basilicum contained, as main components, linalool (44.7 %), linalyl acetate (14.0 %), 1,8-cineole (6.7 %), myrcene (5.6 %), α-terpineol (5.1 %), geranyl acetate (4.0 %), alloocimene (2.4%), neryl acetate (2.4 %), elemol (2.1 %) and β-caryophyllene (1.3 %). Major compounds in the essential oil of O. gratissimum were eugenol (54.8 %), β-elemene (10.9 %), 1,8 cineole (4.1 %), α-humulene (3.8 %) linalool (2.1 %) and α-amorphene (2.1 %).