Ocimum basilicum L. cv. Maria Bonita is a medicinal aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family, it is rich in essential oils with high industrial interest. The present work aimed to study the influence of leaf processing (whole and ground leaf) in two drying types (oven-drying at 38º C and room temperature using moisture dryer) on the content and chemical composition of the essential oil. A completely randomized design was used with 4 treatments and 6 replicates. The essential oil obtained by hydrodestillation of the leaves was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results show that the drying type and the processing of the leaf influence the content and chemical composition of the essential oil. High amounts of linalol were obtained when the leaves underwent dry processing. The oven-dried conserved the aroma and the green color of the leaves, preserving the original characteristics of the cultivar.
Chemical composition; medicinal plants
