Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of Ocimum basilicum L. extracts obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction: Drug exhausting method

• Basil extracts obtained by SF-CO2 using drug exhausting method.
• Obtained higher extraction yield in comparison to the standard Soxhlet procedure.
• Obtained O. basilicum extracts with high antioxidant capacity.
• Determined major constituents of supercritical extracts using GC/MS analysis.

Supercritical fluid extraction of thermolabile volatile compounds from Ocimum basilicum was applied. The highest extraction yield has been achieved in the case of extract obtained using carbon dioxide at pressure of 150 bar and temperature of 60 °C on drug previously exhausted by carbon dioxide at temperature of 60 °C and pressure of 100 bar. Obtained extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A few compounds were dominant in analyzed extracts: linalool, eugenol, α-bergamotene, germacrene D, γ-cadinene, δ-cadinene and β-selinene. Linalool was major compound in extracts present in range from 12.2 to 141.5 g/kg. Antioxidant activity of extract obtained using carbon dioxide at 100 bar and at temperature of 60 °C was approximately three times higher than antioxidant activity of basil essential oil. Obtained results indicated that supercritical extraction of basil, with the principles of drug exhausting, can be considered as more effective method for volatile non-polar components extraction and preparation of extracts with high antioxidant activity, in comparison to classical Soxhlet and hydro-distillation procedures.

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