Aroma profiles of five basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars grown under conventional and organic conditions

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method coupled to gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (GC-ITMS) has been developed and applied for profiling of volatile compounds released from five Ocimum basilicum L. cultivars grown under both organic and conventional conditions. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) was employed for confirmation of identity of volatiles extracted from the basil headspace by SPME. Linalool, methyl chavicol, eugenol, bergamotene, and methyl cinnamate were the dominant volatile components, the relative content of which was found to enable differentiating between the cultivars examined. The relative content of some sesquiterpenes, hydrocarbons benzenoid compounds, and monoterpene hydrocarbons was lower in dried and frozen leaves as compared to fresh basil leaves. A sensory analysis of the all examined samples proved the differences between evaluated cultivars. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.