A Review on Applications and Uses of Thymus in the Food Industry.

Gema Nieto

doi:10.3390/plants9080961

Abstract

Thyme is one of the most important medicinal plants because of its ethnopharmacological relevance and high content of bioactive compounds. This review focuses particularly on thyme as an alternative natural antioxidant and antimicrobial with potential use in the food industry. This is in line with the preferences of the current consumer, who demands healthier and more natural products. Different studies have concluded that the use of thyme increases stability and reduces lipid oxidation during the shelf-life period of foods (meat, meat products, milk, fish or fish products), which makes thyme a promising source of natural additives. Despite these findings, the use of Thymus extracts or essential oils as natural additives in foods is reduced in comparison with other natural preservative extracts. This review provides an overview of the most important information on the positive effect of the bioactive compounds of thyme and its uses as a preservative in foods, taking into account its origin (from plants, plant extracts or essential oils).

Highlights

Plants produce phytochemicals to protect themselves from bacteria, viruses and fungi, but they protect food from spoilage when added to food
The effect of supplementation on animal diets with thyme by-products on meat quality was studied by Nieto et al [126], who investigated the effect of the inclusion of distilled thyme leaves in the diet of pregnant sheep and their effect on the final meat quality of lamb, which was studied during the storage of meat in a MA
Replacing 10% and 20% of the basal diet of pregnant sheep, with pellets elaborated from 50% barley and 50%

Summary

Introduction

Plants produce phytochemicals to protect themselves from bacteria, viruses and fungi, but they protect food from spoilage when added to food. Great interest has been focused on using natural preservatives in food products in light of recent studies that have indicated the possible adverse effects related to the consumption of synthetic additives. Natural preservatives improve human health because they protect against diseases [1]. The natural plant extract industry is moving millions of euros around the world. 1340 plants are known to be potential sources of antioxidant and antimicrobial components [2], and more than 250,000 plant species contain a wide variety of bioactive components. In 1999 alone, the global business of selling natural supplements exceeded 15 trillion dollars, of which

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