Investigation and comparison of quantity and quality of essential oil composition of Zataria multiflora and two species of Thymus in uniform environmental conditions

Due to secondary metabolites such as thymol and carvacrol,  which are presence in Thymus and Zataria genus, which they are widely have been  used as medicine plant. This study was carried out to evaluate and compare the quantity and quality of the active ingredient of three genotypes of Zatariamultiflora, one genotype of Thymus daenensisand Thymusarmeniacus under uniform environmental conditions at Shahrekord University. In this regard, at 50% flowering stage, each genotype was collected from two-year-old plants and at a distance of five centimeters soil surface. The analysis of secondary metabolites was done by using Headspace Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry method. The results were showed that most of the identified compounds were in the form of mono terpenoid compounds. The mean of thymol and carvacrol in the three genotypes of the species Z. multiflora was higher than the Thymus species. a-pinene and β-pinene materials were observed in three genotypes of Z. multiflora, and a-terpineol, linalool and trypinolen in Z. multiflora were comparatively more than two species of Thymus. In contrast, some compounds such as beta-bisabolin, alpha-terpinen and para-cymene, were only presented in Thymus species and were not seen in three genotypes of the Z. multiflora.