Thymus mastichina L. as a natural alternative for food preservation: Study of bioactivities and phenolic profile
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Market challenges are a strong promoter to innovation in the food preservatives segment, especially
regarding consumer resistance to the use of artificial additives [1]. Plants belonging to the genus Thymus
are traditionally used as spices in folk medicine and are characterized as promising sources of natural
additives [2,3]. Thus, the present work aimed to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds and evaluate
the bioactive properties of Thymus mastichina L., to validate its application as a natural preservative
ingredient to be applied un the bakery and pastry industry. The chemical composition of Thymus mastichina
L. aqueous extract was analyzed by chromatographic methods (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS), followed by the
identification of its individual compounds by comparison to literature data and commercial standards. To
prove its bioactive properties, different in vitro tests were carried out to test its antioxidant properties
(oxidative hemolysis inhibition (OxHLIA), reducing power, and free radical scavenging capacity (DPPH)),
antimicrobial activity (evaluated using a panel of six bacteria and six filamentous fungi), anti-inflammatory
action (in rat macrophage cells, RAW 264. 7), and cytotoxicity (in human tumor cell lines: MCF-7, breast
carcinoma; NCI-H460, lung cancer; AGS, gastric carcinoma; and in non-tumor cells, PLP2 and Vero, by
the sulforhodamine B method). Regarding the individual phenolic compounds, 12 distinct compounds were
identified, derived from flavonoids and phenolic acids, in which kaempherol-O-hexuronoside stood out as
the major compound. The antioxidant activity was the biological activity that stood out, with the extract
presenting low EC50 values (0.048 ± 0.002 mg/mL, 0.035 ± 0.001 mg/mL, and 19.0 ± 0.6 μg/mL for DPPH,
reducing power, and OxHLIA assays, respectively). In the cytotoxic assay, the extract showed higher
efficiency for AGS cell line (59 ± 5 μg/mL), and for the antimicrobial activity, fungicidal (CMF) and
bactericidal (CMB) potential was observed with a concentration range of 2 - 4 mg/mL. In general, based on
the bioactive properties demonstrated by thyme extract, it can be considered as a natural ingredient with
potential application in the food industry, attributing benefits to new food formulations, especially those
developed in the bakery and pastry industry.
