The appropriate drying period and the ideal harvest moment of Ocimum gratissimum L. were determined in Pentecoste, Brazil, observing the influence on the essential oil and its main components during this process. In the first experiment five drying periods were tested, represented by the number of days that the material was submitted to the process: control treatment (zero day of drying), 4, 8, 12 and 16 days, with four replicates in each treatment. The percentage of humidity, essential oil content and its main components were evaluated. The second experiment consisted of five different harvest moment (7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 hours), with four replications, where days were considered as blocks. In this experiment humidity, fresh mass, dry mass, essential oil content and its main components were analyzed. The results of the first experiment suggest that Ocimum gratissimum L. should not be dried but should be processed quickly to reduce the loss of eugenol, the main active component. The various harvesting moments did not influence the essential oil content and its main components (eugenol, 1,8 cineol).
Ocimum gratissimum L.; medicinal plant; essential oil; eugenol
