BASIL, SWEET

Swaits reactions Sweat glands Sweep flocculation Sweet basil Sweet basil oil Sweet chocolate Sweet crude oil Sweeteners... 

Basil (Sweet Basil). Basil consists of the brown, dried leaves and tender stems of Ocimum basilicum L. (Labiatae), an aimual native to India, Africa, and Asia, and cultivated in Egypt, southern Erance, Morocco, the Mediteranean countries, and the United States. Basil is one of the oldest known herbs, and it is reported that there are perhaps 50—60 poorly defined Ocimum species which can only be identified according to their chemical components. The flavor of the basihcum type is warm, sweet, somewhat pungent, and pecuhar, ie, methyl chavicol and linalool. It is used with meats, fish, certain cheeses, and tomato-based salads. The fresh leaves are ground and known as pesto with pastas. It is the main component of the Hqueur Chartreuse. 

Table 24. Components of Sweet Basil Oil and Headspaee of Living Sweet BasiT...

In the case of sweet basil, Ocimwn basilicum, Charabot and Hubert have examined the essential oils distilled from plants which had been cultivated in full light and from those kept shaded from the light. Jn the former case the oil contained 57 3 per cent, of estragol and 42 7 per cent, of terpene compounds, whilst in the case of the shaded plants the estragol had risen tO 74 2per cent, and the terpene compounds fell to 25 8 per cent. 

Basilicum, Basilicumkraut, n. (sweet) basil. Basilicumsalbe, /. (Med.) basilicon. 

Vassao DG, Gang DR, Koeduka T et al (2006) Chavicol formation in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) cleavage of an esterified C9 hydroxyl group with NAD(P)H-dependent reduction. Org Biomol Chem 4 2733-2744... 

Linalool is a major component in essential oils such as those of coriander, palmarosa, mace, petitigrain, Lippia alba and sweet orange flowers. (3i )(—)-Linalool is a main component in the oils of Ocimum species, including sweet basil, and in the oils of neroli, linaloe, bergamot, lavender and others. Linalool enantiomers in... 

Tarragon oil (estragon oil) is produced by steam distillation of leaves, stems, and flowers of Artemisia dracunculus L. (Asteraceae). It is a pale yellow to amber liquid with a characteristic, spicy, delicate estragon odor reminiscent of liquorice and sweet basil. The following specifications refer to tarragon oil obtained from plants cultivated in southern France and in Piedmont (Italy). 

Limonene [138-86-3] - [ANALYTICALMETHODS - TRENDS] (Vol 2) -aroma chemical [PERFUMES] (Vol 18) -in Bergamot oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in caraway oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in asms oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in citronella oils [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in eucalyptus oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in expectorants [EXPECTORANTS, ANTITUSSIVES AND RELATED AGENTS] (Vol 9) -m jumperberry oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in lavender [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in lavender [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in lime oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in neroli oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -m oilbanum [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in orange oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17) -in sweet basil oil [OILS, ESSENTIAL] (Vol 17)... 

The French or sweet basil has a high linalool and lower methyl chavicol content with the exotic basil having the highest methyl chavicol content. It is for this reason that the sweet is often preferred for aromatherapy. Principal chemical components found in essential oils of basil include methyl chavicol (22-88%), methyl eugenol (0.3-6%), linalool (1.1 6%), limonene (2.0 4.9%), cis-ocimene (0.2-2.6%) and citronellol (0.6-3.9%). Analysis for a sample of... 

Methyl ethers and esters are also found as volatile constituents in a wide range of flowers and fragrant herbs. For example, methyleugenol is found in the essential oil of herbs such as sweet basil and in the floral headspace of a wide range of flowers.7"10 Defense compounds and phytoalexins are commonly O-methylated as well. These compounds include the 3 -O-methylated form of the flavonoid quercetin as well as the 7-O-methyl ester of the flavone apigenin (Fig. ll.l).11,12 While not within the scope of this paper, it should be noted that protein O-methylation is common.13,14 One interesting protein modification known to occur in Arabidopsis thaliana is the a-carboxyl methylation of prenylated proteins.15 This modification has been shown in mammals and yeast to be important in protein targeting and membrane association.16,17... 

LEW1NSOHN, E., ZIV-RAZ, I., DUDAI, N., TADMOR, Y LASTOCHKIN, E., LARKOV, O., CHAIMOVITSH, D RAVID, U PUTIEVSKY, E PICHERSKY, E., SHOHAM, Y., Biosynthesis of estragole and methyl-eugenol in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L). Developmental and chemotypic association of allylphenol O-methyltransferase activities., Plant Sci., 2000,160,27-35. 

GANG, D. R., LAVID, N ZUBIETA, C., CHEN, F., BEUERLE, T., LEWINSOHN, E NOEL, J. P., PICHERSKY, E., Characterization of phenylpropene O-methyltransferases from sweet basil Facile change of substrate specificity and convergent evolution within a plant O-methyltransferase family., Plant Cell., 2002,14, 505-519. 

Tarragon Oil occurs as a pale yellow to amber liquid having a delicate, spicy odor similar to fennel and sweet basil but characteristic of Tarragon Oil. It is the volatile oil obtained by steam distillation from the leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant Artemesia dracunculus L. (Fam. Asteraceae). It is soluble in most fixed oils and in an equal volume of mineral oil, occasionally becoming hazy on further dilution. It is relatively insoluble in propylene glycol, and is insoluble in glycerin. 

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