Antioxidant Potential and Polyphenolic Content of Romanian Ocimum Basilicum

This study sought to carry out a screening of the polyphenols from the aerial parts of four samples of Ocimum basilicum. HPLC-MS method was used to investigate the presence of phenolic compounds in the studied samples; caftaric, cafeic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric acids and rutin were identified. The total polyphenolic content was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, the flavonoid and the caffeic acid derivatives contents were detected using spectrophotometric methods. In addition, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by using the stable free radical diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The quantitative determinations made by several spectrophotometric methods showed different results, samples of culture of Ocimum basilicum being richer in phenolic compounds than the commercial samples. The antioxidant capacity in all cases was moderate, even if the polyphenols content was high.