Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Thymus eigii M. Zohary & P. H. Davis essential oil

Abstract

The family Lamiaceae is represented by 45 genera, 546 species and 730 taxa in Turkey. The genus Thymus is represented in Turkey by 38 species; the ratio of endemism in the genus is 53%. Thymus eigii samples collected from Hatay were subjected to hydrodistillation to yield essential oils that were subsequently analysed by Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The main constituents of the oils were identified and antimicrobial and antioxidant bioassays were applied. The T.eigii white flowers oil contained carvacrol (43.63%), p-cymene (20.55 %) and thymol (16.06%); T.eiigi with purple flowers oil contained geranyl acetate (15.66 %), p-cymene (14.62%) and thymol (11.48%) as the main components. All tested microorganisms were inhibited by the essential oil samples. Antioxidant activity was tested using the 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging method. The antioxidant activity of the tested essential oils were slightly lower than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and so the essential oils can be considered effective natural antioxidants.