Views: 248 Downloads: 34

Abstract

Ocimum basilicum L. is prioritised under the Malaysian Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) Blueprint 2018-2027 for development into high-value healthcare products. Although it has been included in the Malaysian Herbal Monograph (MHM), the absence of quality specifications that account for local agronomic variations creates a significant regulatory gap in the development of the Malaysian Herbal Pharmacopoeia (MHP). This study established comprehensive quality standards by evaluating pharmacognostic purity and validating an HPLC-UV method for 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, vicenin-2, and rosmarinic acid. By assessing the impact of hydroponics, indoor vertical farming, and soil fertigation, the research found that while all samples maintained high hygiene, the total ash content in ML-GH (17.14%) and PC-CH (15.41%) exceeded the MHM limit of 15.0%. As evidenced by the low acid-insoluble ash, this difference was not caused by contamination but by the physiological luxury consumption of minerals in nutrient-rich systems. Chemometric profiling showed that the indoor vertical farming UG-KL sample had higher levels of vicenin-2 (0.95 ± 0.02 mg/g DW) and rosmarinic acid (3.65 ± 0.06 mg/g DW), mainly driven by osmotic stress and LED spectral optimisation. In contrast, the highest concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (0.47 ± 0.01 mg/g DW) were found in the high-altitude planted ML-GH sample, indicating a potential role in UV-B photoprotection. The results support validation of the HPLC approach as a reliable tool for routine quality monitoring and the updating of pharmacopoeia ash limits to account for hydroponic growing conditions‎.

Keywords: Ocimum basilicum L, Malaysia herbal pharmacopoeia, Purity test, High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Cultivation systems, Phytochemical profiling

Citation Formats: