In vitro antioxidant/free radical scavenging and antibacterial properties of endemic oregano and thyme extracts from Greece
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Date
2011-12
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Korean Society Food Science and Technology-Kosfost
Abstract
The present investigation was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of hexane and methanol extracts from Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum and Thymus vulgaris (Komotini, Greece). The methanol extracts of oregano and thyme against DPPH radical were more active than the hexane extracts (mean values 0.94 and 0.47, respectively) and oregano exhibited stronger activity than thyme (mean values 0.82 and 0.55, respectively). The results from the beta-carotene/linoleic acid assay showed that all plant extracts inhibited linoleic acid oxidation up to 70.78 +/- 1.17%. The oregano extracts exhibited the strongest inhibition against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus using the disc diffusion assay. The chemical composition of the hexane and methanol extracts, by using GC-MS, showed that carvacrol, thymol, and p-cymene were the most prominent compounds. The methanol extract of oregano was found the most potent antioxidant with the highest content of total phenolics (138.92 mg GA/g extract) and carvacrol (76.7%).
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Keywords
Food science & technology, Oregano, Thyme, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial activity, Phenol, GC-MS, Plant essential oils, Antimicrobial activity, Escherichia coli, Origanum, Listeria monocytogenes, Origanum vulgare, Staphylococcus aureus, Thymus vulgaris, Bacteria, Chemical compounds, Escherichia coli, Essential oils, Hexane, Linoleic acid, Methanol, Plant extracts, Anti-microbial activity, Antioxidant, Phenols
Citation
Lagouri, V. vd. (2011). "In vitro antioxidant/free radical scavenging and antibacterial properties of endemic oregano and thyme extracts from Greece". Food Science and Biotechnology, 20(6), 1487-1493.