Obtenção de óleo essencial de alfavaca (ocimum gratissimum) em diferentes partes da planta.

Abstract

Originating in Asia, Alfavaca (Ocimum gratissimum L.) is a plant widely used in home medicine in the form of baths and teas, and is much appreciated as a condiment. Plants produce essential oils in their flowers, inflorescences, branches, fruit peels, leaves, small grains, roots and seeds. These oils are widely used in many cultures, especially in traditional medicine for various herbal purposes. These aromatic components in plants generate economic interest, which directs attention to the selection of commercially cultivated species, considering quantity and quality of volatile substances. The study aimed to identify in which parts of the plant there is greater yield of essential oil of Alfavaca. For the extraction of the essential oil, three treatments were applied comprising three parts of the plant: T1 inflorescences, T2 leaves and T3 branches with four replicates each, totaling twelve extractions, each lasting 90 minutes. The essential oil was extracted with an extractor adapted by Wanderley and Pereira (unpublished data) by the steam drag method. The concentration of these oils varies from place to place in certain species, so their chemical characteristics may differ according to the methodology used for their extraction. From the obtained data it was possible to observe a significant difference in yield in the studied parts (inflorescences, leaves and branches). The results allow us to conclude that the parts of the plant that contain the largest amount of essential oil are the inflorescences and leaves, but more studies are recommended in order to identify in which period during flowering the plant provides a higher yield of the essential oil.