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.
