## 3 Results and Discussion
### Impact of Cultivar and Cut on Phenolic Acids Accumulation  
Due to their sessile nature, plants rely on effective defensive systems to protect themselves against potential environmental threats. Among passive protection mechanisms, specialized metabolites play a relevant role in plant survival and colonization of our planet [45]. Most of the technological and nutritional attributes of medicinal herbs such as basil are indeed associated with their high levels of these metabolites, of which phenolic acids are the most representative [8]. The HPLC assay of the phenolic profile in the experimented basil plants revealed a predominance of rosmarinic, chicoric, and caffeic acids, in accordance with the results achieved by [PERSON] et al. [46]. Apart from p-Coumaric acid, the phenolic profile was affected by the interaction of the examined factors (Table 2). In the second harvest, there was a considerable rise in phenolic acids concentration in all the assessed cultivars. Notably, Italiano Classico recorded the highest increase of chicic acid (517%) and rosmarinic acid (1128%), whereas caffeic and ferulic acids increase was higher in Aroma 2, marking 237% and 162%, respectively. Eleonora recorded the highest value of p-Coumaric acid, rising by 160% in the second cut (Table 2). Compared with other cultivars, Italiano Classico showed the highest total phenolic acids content (1080.79 mg kg\({}^{-1}\) dw), mainly due to the high rosmarinic acid (Table 2). This finding demonstrates a strong genotypic impact of basil on the biosynthesis of the above-mentioned specialized metabolites [45; 47]. It also points out the tendency of Genovese cultivars to metabolize preferably rosmarinic acid [30]. According to [PERSON] et al. [30], rosmarinic acid increased after the cut, independently from the cultivar. This result confirms that the stress induced by the cut can be a valuable tool to increase the antioxidant activity of basil. Chemically, rosmarinic acid is the ester of caffeic acid, belonging to the chemical group of phenylpropanoids, whose biosynthesis occurs via the amino acids L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine pathway [48; 49]. Its molecular structure, characterized by the presence of hydroxyl groups, confers relevant antioxidant activity and a regulating function on tyrosinase enzyme activity and melanin production [50; 51], which provide benefits in the prevention of disease, including diabetes and skin melanoma [23]. It could also be a valuable adjuvant in the development of new antibiotic drugs with its strong and recognized antibiotic activity [52]. The amount of rosmarinic acid obtained in this study did not reflect the data in the literature, which could be due to the different growing conditions as well as the analytical method used to assess them, as suggested by [PERSON] et al. [53]. In our samples, rosmarinic acid ranged from 87.98 to 1185.29 mg kg\({}^{-1}\) dw, in contrast to the results recorded in previous studies [47; 54]. The results achieved by [PERSON] et al. [54] showed rosmarinic acid values up to 100 times higher than those obtained in our investigation. However, it is worth noting that non-domestical basil plants used by [PERSON] et al. [54] were obtained from unselected seeds from local markets or supplied by farmers. As argued by [PERSON] et al. [55], domestication would determine a reduction in secondary metabolic activity in favor of the primary one, supporting the results obtained in our work. The phenolic compounds in aromatic herbs have a high antioxidant activity that imparts health benefits, reinforces the immune system, and improves life expectancy [5]. These bioactive compounds' attributes are a valuable resource for the food industry to replace the widespread synthetic antioxidants (e.g., BHA, butylated hydroxyanisole; BHT, Butylated hydroxytoluene) [8], thus making the food system safer and more sustainable. For example, Genovese basil with high phenolic acid content could be an excellent tool to improve \"pesto\" quality, extending its shelf-life and reducing oxidation during storage [56].