Extraction of Thymol Compound from Thymus vulgaris L. Oil

Abstract

Essential oils consist of many chemical compounds with different structures and functional properties, which might be employed as an ingredient in many foods, drug formulations, and products. In this research, leaves and aerial part of cultivated Thymus vulgaris L. was isolated by hydrodistillation. The chemical compositions of the essential oil were identified by the application of GC/MS. Then thymol, as the main ingredient, was purified by hot water or microwave methods. Subsequently, the yield and degree of purity of extracted thymol were determined. The results indicated the extraction efficiency of leaves essential oil (1.16 %) was more than aerial parts (0.62 %) and thymol the main ingredient in both essential oils includes 59.47 and 53.63 %, respectively. The highest yield of thymol extracted (91.27 %) was obtained from leaves with a purity of 95.27% by microwave extraction method. Extracted thymol might be recommended for use in formulation of the food and drug supplements due to numerous functional and pharmacological activities.