Toxicity and Biochemical Effects of Cumin and Basil Essential Oils on Tribolium Castaneum

Abstract The essential oils (EOs) of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) herb were extracted by hydrodistillation and tested against the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) for insecticidal and biochemical effects on certain enzymes of this insect. Major components of C. cyminum EO determined by gass chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis were γ-terpinene (15.78 %) and benzenemethanol (11.32 %), while those of O. basilicum EO were linalool (56.7 %) and epi-α-cadinol (11.4 %). The lethal concentration values for 50% mortality after three days of T. castaneum whole body exposure were 678 mg kg–1 for cumin oil and 755 mg kg–1 for basil oil. The enzymatic activity of treated insects showed a reduction in total protein, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase compared to untreated ones. However, α-amylase activity increased with both tested EOs. Hence, for T. castaneum control, these EOs may represent alternatives to conventional insecticides.