Abstract

ROJAS, Miriam M et al. Chemical characterization and antibacterial activity of essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum basilicum var. genovese L.. Rev. Protección Veg. [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.2, pp.130-134. ISSN 1010-2752.

Resistance of microorganisms to commercial drugs and plaguicides tend to increase; thus, the search for new antimicrobial agents of natural sources including essential oils, is very important. The aim of this study was to identify the potential of essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum basilicum var. genovese L. as candidates for the development of new antibacterials. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger team. Their chemical composition was determined by GC / MS, and the biological evaluation against Clavibacter michiganensis subsp michiganensis (Smith) Davis et al, Xanthomonas albilineans (Ashby) Dowson, Streptococcus suis (Elliot,) Kilpper-Bälz & Schleifer and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Schroeter) Trevisan was carried out by agar diffusion method. The chemical compositions of both oils have similarities; they are characterized by the prevalence of oxygenated monoterpenoid compounds, being the main constituents linalool, eugenol and eucalyptol. White basil and genovese oils showed a strong antibacterial activity against all bacteria tested. Phytopathogenic bacteria were more susceptible to the action of both oils than the pathogenic bacteria of animals. The results obtained indicate these oils as active ingredients for developing promising new products for the control and treatment of diseases in the fields of plant and animal health.

Keywords : essential oils; Ocimum; Clavibacter; Xanthomonas; Streptococcus; Klebsiella.

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