Essential oils and fatty acids of Thymus vulgaris seeds: chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity

Medicinal plants are a natural source of many existing medical products, were used widely to enhance food taste and make a fragrance, therapeutic, and preservative additive. The essential oils (E.Os) and fatty acids (F.As) are the origins of various phytochemical substances and are commercially beneficial in food and they are several biological activities including antiviral, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, and anti-inflammatory. So, the Thymus vulgaris L. seeds (Thyme) was investigated to extract E.Os and F.As and was analyzed via mass spectrometry (GC / MS) to determine their chemical composition. The results indicated that the antioxidant properties of extracting were examined using the (DPPH) free radical-scavenging method, ability of the E.Os and F.As ranged from 86.60% to 82.60 % respectively compared to the standard Quercetin (85.32 %). However, antimicrobial activity was represented against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and Proteus vulgaris. Suggesting a possible link between such essential oils/fatty acids and the elimination of harmful, or potentially lethal pathogen, at least to some extent.