Abstract
Thymus serpyllum is an aromatic wild plant with a wide range of usage in food, medicinal and therapeutics due to the presence of health promoting compounds. Considering the increasing demand for natural sources of bioactive compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industry, the present study is aimed to characterize the nutrients, bioactive compounds and antioxidant property of T. serpyllum which is used as food and medicine in Ladakh region of India since ancient times. The plant has rich protein content (21.39 g/100 g) and is an excellent source of micronutrients such as vitamins and mineral elements (Ca, K, Si, Fe, Mn) as analyzed by WDXRF spectrometry. Spectrophotometric analysis was conducted to estimate the phenol, flavonoid and phytosterol content. The DPPH scavenging activity of the methanol extract showed a good percentage inhibition with IC50 = 48.58 μg/mL. Six polyphenols gallic acid, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, rutin, catechol and naringin were quantified using RP-HPLC analysis. Various functional groups with high intense peak OH, C = C and CO was identified through FTIR analysis. The main compounds identified through GCMS includes thymol (55.98%) followed by Benzene, 1,1′-sulfonylbis- (5.63%) and Stigmast-5-en-3-ol, (3.beta.,24 s)- (4.05%). Thymol is a distinctive compound present in all Thyme species which have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant property and is also used as food and preservatives. Compared to other thyme species, the thymol content was higher in T. serpyllum. Presence of health beneficial nutrients and a rich profile of bioactive compounds mainly gallic acid and thymol makes this plant a promising source of natural additives for the food industry and development of novel drugs.
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