Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of extracts from thyme and rosemary against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans

Abstract

Different concentrations of ethanolic extracts of thyme (Zataria multiflora) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) were evaluated to determine their antimicrobial activity using the agar-well diffusion method. The values of inhibition zone diameter (IZD) for Candida albicans fungus and Staphylococcus aureus Gram-positive bacteria were determined. The bioactivities of two various extracts were studied, and the chemical composition of the extracts were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The results of the test showed that at concentrations of 10% and 40% thyme extract, the values of IZD were 12.5 mm and 23.3 mm, respectively, against the growth of S. aureus, which were higher than C. albicans (7.0 mm and 22.5 mm, respectively). The rosemary extract at concentrations of 20% and 60% showed lower antibacterial activity against S. aureus (4.7 mm and 8.7 mm IZD, respectively) and lower antifungal activity against C. albicans (12.2 mm and 1.7 mm IZD, respectively). At a concentration of 40% thyme extract, the highest antibacterial (23.3 mm IZD) and antifungal (22.5 mm IZD) activities were observed. The GC/MS analysis showed that carvacrol (52.3%), linalool L (16%), and thymol (9.6%) were the main components of thyme extract, while in the rosemary extract β-amyrone (18.0%), verbenone (8.0%), and 1,8-cineole (7.26%) were the major constituents.

Bioactivity of Microencapsulated Cell-Free Supernatant of Streptococcus thermophilus in Combination with Thyme Extract on Food-Related Bacteria

“…According to Saleem et al [45], carvacrol and thymol are the two primary constituents of fresh and dried plants, respectively. Carvacrol (52.32%), linalool L (15.96%), thymol (9.59%), 1-methylpyrroline (3.53%), and trans-caryophyllene (3.43%) were the major constituents of thyme (Zataria multiflora) extract [46]. Mehrabi et al [47] reported that the main components in thyme were thymol (25.30%), δ-2-carene (8.825%), and carvacrol (8.43%).…”

“…)-(4.54%), (Z, Z)-6, 9-Cis-3, 4-epoxy-nonadecadiene (3.60%), carvacrol (3.59%), cryptomeridiol (3.22%), heptadecanoic acid, ethyl ester (2.03%), and naphthalene, decahydro-(1.28%) [52]. Various factors, such as geographical conditions, cultural differences, plant development stage, drying methods, and extraction methods, affect the qualitative and quantitative properties of bioactive components in a plant [46,47,53]. These variables are the cause of the detection of various components in thyme extract.…”

“…Although thyme essential oil showed strong antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogenic bacteria such as S. aureus ATCC 9144, its extracts did not exhibit any antimicrobial activity [16]. Sabzikar et al [46] reported that an ethanolic extract of thyme was highly active against the growth inhibition of S. aureus and Candida albicans and showed good antibacterial and antifungal activity. The highest level inhibitory zone diameters were observed in all concentrations of the ethanolic and acetone thyme extracts against Salmonella Typhi and E. coli, respectively.…”

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of extracts from the fruit, leaf, and branchlet of Cupressus arizonica Green

“…In the second step, approximately 50, 50, and 40 g from pieces of fruits, leaves, and branchlets were poured into a separatory funnel, and then 200, 300, and 200 mL of 96% aqueous ethanol was added to each one. The mixture was macerated in the closed separatory funnel for 48 h. The outlet of the separatory funnel was opened, and the liquid was allowed to drip slowly, as specified in the method by Sabzikar et al (2020). The liquid was clarified by filtration and finally concentrated to dryness, in a Petri plate at a laboratory temperature (25 ± 5 °C) under a laminar hood to avoid chemical alteration in the bioactive compounds with loss of their properties.…”

“…The liquid was clarified by filtration and finally concentrated to dryness, in a Petri plate at a laboratory temperature (25 ± 5 °C) under a laminar hood to avoid chemical alteration in the bioactive compounds with loss of their properties. The extracts were accumulated and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and then stored at 4 ºC until further analysis (Sabzikar et al 2020). The extracts' weights from fruit, leaf, and branchlet components were 0.20, 0.25, and 0.15 g, respectively.…”