Basil essential oil: Estragole content and chemical profiles

Abstract Basil (sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic plant known for its culinary and traditional medicinal uses. The content of estragole (methyl chavicol), a compound associated with a potential risk to human health, was determined in the essential oils of 12 samples of basil herb by gas chromatography with flame ionisation and mass spectrometry detection (GC-FID/MS) using an external standard method. The essential oils contained estragole at various levels, from 1.85 to 561.01 mg mL −1 . Regarding the chemical profile, among the eleven essential oils, the compound with the highest relative proportion was linalool (29.1–70.3%), while estragole dominated in one essential oil with a relative proportion of 45.2%. All essential oils tested correspond to the European chemotype, which is characterised by a high content of linalool or a combination of linalool and estragole. Given the recommendation for limiting human exposure to estragole, the safety of some essential oils may be of concern due to their high levels of estragole content. The results indicate the importance of the chemical analysis of basil herb samples and the selection of chemotypes with low estragole content.