Determination of Nutrient and Phytochemical Profile of Basil (Ocimum gratissimum) Leaves and Seeds

The sustainable use of plant parts such as basil (Ocimum gratissimum) leavesand seeds is beneficial as they are believed to possess various nutritional andtherapeutic values. The study investigated the nutrient and phytochemicalprofile of basil leaves and seeds. Specifically, the study analysed the proximatecomposition (moisture, crude protein, fat, ash, crude fibre and carbohydrate);vitamin content (pro-vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E) and phytochemicalcontent (flavonoid and phenol) of basil leaves and seeds. Samples wereprocessed into flour using different methods. The proximate, vitamin andphytochemical compositions of the samples were analysed in triplicates usingstandard methods. All data were presented as means ± standard deviations.Proximate analysis results showed that the protein content of basil seedsranged from 14.90 - 14.93%. The Ash content of the samples varies from 4.28 -10.45%. The concentration of crude fibre in basil leaves and seeds rangedbetween 14.20 - 15.77%. The vitamin analysis result showed that the pro-vitamin A content of the samples ranged from 11.28- 170.70μg/100g. Analysisof phytochemical content showed that the value of flavonoids in the samplesvaried from 16.67 -22.78mg/100g. The phenol content of the samples rangedbetween 21.71 and 23.74mg/100g. Results showed that basil leaves and seedscontain significant quantities of nutrients and phytochemicals. The findings ofthe study indicated that basil leaves and seeds could be used as raw materialsin food and pharmaceutical industries to manufacture spices, beverages andnutraceuticals.