Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 13(6): June 2020 2699 ISSN 0974-3618 (Print) www.rjptonline.org 0974-360X (Online) RESEARCH ARTICLE Extraction of Polyphenols from Oregano and Thyme by Maceration using Glycerine Wissam Zam 1 *, Ali Ali 2 , Farah Husein 2 1 Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Andalus University for Medical Sciences, Tartous, Syria. 2 Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Technical Engineering, Tartous University, Tartous, Syria. *Corresponding Author E-mail: ws.sarah2005@gmail.com; w.zam@au.edu.sy ABSTRACT: Oregano and thyme are plants belonging to Lamiaceae family and are considered a rich source of polyphenols. The aim of this study is to determine the amount of polyphenols and the antioxidant capacity of oregano, thyme and their 1:1 mixture. Extracts were prepared by maceration (from 1 to 15 days) using glycerin at a concentration of 95%. The phenolic content of these extracts was calculated by Folin-Ciocalteau assay, whereas DPPH (2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhudrazyl) test was used to determine the antioxidant capacity. Oregano had the highest phenolic content and antioxidant capacity while thyme had the lowest values. The best time of maceration was at 10 days for all extracts. In conclusion, results showed that glycerin could be used as an important green solvent in the extraction of polyphenols from plant materials; also increasing the maceration period to 10 days is better for both phenolic content and antioxidant activity. KEYWORDS: Oregano; Thyme; Polyphenols; maceration; glycerin. 1. INTRODUCTION: Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) are flowering plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family [1] . They have been used in cooking to improve the flavor of food and as preservative agent long time ago [2] . Recent researches have proved that thyme and oregano could be an important source of bioactive polyphenols and have antioxidant properties. They also have great effects on the human health such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic activities [3-5] . Recently, there has been a rising awareness to the importance of high content of phenolic compounds due to their antioxidant properties which could prevent the oxidative degradation in food and protect oils and lipids [6-10] . Received on 22.11.2019 Modified on 06.01.2020 Accepted on 21.02.2020 © RJPT All right reserved Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2020; 13(6): 2699-2702. DOI: 10.5958/0974-360X.2020.00480.1 Oregano and thyme are widely used in Mediterranean Basin for different purposes. Thyme and oregano leaves are used either dried or fresh and the flowers could also for the extraction of essential oils that are used as aromatic additives in food [11] . They also contain many important compounds such as carvacrol and thymol; the carvacrol content in oregano can be up to 95%, and it is considered the most powerful effective bioactive compound against followed by thymol [12] . The most polyphenols reported to be present in thyme and oregano are hydroxycinnamic acids and flavons. Researchers have also found a high content of rosmarinic acid in plants belonging to Lamiaceae family. Results have shown that oregano contains three major phenolic compounds that have an effective antioxidation activity; these major compounds are caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, and rosemarinic acid. Whereas salvianolic acid, rosemarinic acid, luteolin 7- O-B glucuronide and luteolin glucoside are considered the main phenolic compounds in thyme [13] . Glycerin is an important solvent recently used due to its important properties in the extraction of polyphenols from plants. It is considered inexpensive non-toxic and