Date of Award

Summer 7-31-2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MS Chemistry

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Advisor

Gerald J. Buonopane, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jose L. Lopez, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Nicholas H. Snow, Ph.D.

Keywords

Cold Plasma Treatment, Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Soxhlet Extraction, High Pressure/Temperature Reactor

Abstract

The study discussed herein looks both to continue and to expand upon previous work conducted here at Seton Hall University, which investigated the effect of cold plasma processing on sweet basil and their essential oils. It was found that the application of cold plasma treatment increases plant growth and eugenol concentration, which is an essential oil component and one of the potential natural antioxidants used in food preservation. In this study, we considered methods for increasing the production and harvesting of plants that produce essential oils such as sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). The study also incorporated more controls than the previous study which served as a pilot of the present study. These controls included: more sample groups, i.e., seed treated, plant body treatment once and twice a week; different parts of the basil plant were separately treated, such as the leaves, stems, and flowers; and a standard distance of plasma application was maintained. The main focus of the current study was to investigate in detail the effect of the cold plasma treatment on the overall growth of the sweet basil plants, to optimize the extraction protocol of the essential oils present, and to determine quantitatively the effect which the plasma treatment plays on the distribution of the main compounds found in the control and plasma treated plant groups. Sweet basil contains different components of essential oil such as eucalyptol, linalool, estragole, eugenol, and methyl cinnamate. Results of this study showed an increase of the essential oils extracted from the plant based on the plasma treatment. Also, results showed an increase in the essential oil extracted from the basil plant according to the intensity of the treatment either once a week or twice a week with 30 second per treatment. Estragole was the predominant component in the leaves and linalool was predominant in the flowers, both at the twice a week treatment.

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