Hydro distillated essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. from 21 accessions belonging to two different varieties in Iran (var. purpurascens and var. dianatnejadii) were analyzed by using GC and GC/MS techniques to determine the essential oil profile of varieties and identify the possible phytochemical variations in these accessions. The oil content was found 0.6 to 1.1%. A total of 49 compounds representing 96.6-99.7% of the oils were identified; the aromatic compounds represented by methyl chavicol (33.6-49.1%) and oxygenated monoterpenes represented by linalool (14.4-39.3%) were main components in all essential oils. Monoterpene hydrocarbon compounds were presented in the essential oil of all accessions of purpurascens variety and didn’t identify in those of related to var. dianatnejadii, indicating that monoterpene hydrocarbons could be considered as the marker constituents of purpurascens variety. The chemotaxonomic value of the essential oil compositions was discussed according to the results of cluster analysis. The 21 accessions were divided into two groups as different chemical compounds and revealed clearly isolation of two varieties; there weren’t found chemotype variation in studied accessions. In conclusion, GC/MS in combination with chemometric techniques could provide a flexible and reliable method for characterizing the chemical profiles of different varieties of Ocimum basilicum L.

Keywords