Variability of total phenolic, flavonoid and rosmarinic acid content among Iranian basil accessions

- Phytochemical compounds of Iranian basil accessions were analyzed.
- Total phenols, flavonoid and rosmarinic acid content varied between accessions.
- Iranian basil accessions are potential sources of natural phytochemicals.
- Identification of the richest accessions of basil in special components is important.

In this study, variation in total phenolic, flavonoid and rosmarinic acid (RA) content of 37 Iranian accessions of Ocimum ciliatum (20 accessions) and Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens (13 accessions) and O. basilicum var. dianatnejadii (4 accessions) were studied. Significant variations were observed among accessions for all the investigated compounds. According to the results, among the components of 37 studied accessions, the flavonoid content (mg QE/100 g dry wt) varied between 12.9 in accession 26 to 25.8 in accession 2. The accessions 8 and 16 had the highest (107.4) and lowest (7.2) levels of total phenols (mg GAE/100 g dry wt). Also, the rosmarinic acid content changed from 0.1 to 9.9 mg/ml in accessions 26 and 10, respectively. Considering that cultivation and environmental conditions were similar, variation in studied compounds were observed, so selection would be useful for obtaining special components which are desired.