Optimization of Thymol Extraction from Aerial Parts of Thymus vulgaris by the Response Surface Method

Thyme is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry as an antimicrobial and antioxidant aromatic component, mainly due to its essential oil composition especially the presence of Thymol. In this research, the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris collected from Hamedan was obtained by hydro-distillation method. The response surface method was employed to determine the optimal values of the evaluated factors. The proposed optimal conditions were 1.5 to 2.5 hours for 60 to 80 grams of sample per 100 ml. The optimum extraction time of essential oil from the aerial parts and leaves of thyme were 2.5 hours for 77.63 grams and 2.5 hours for 64.66 grams per 100 ml respectively. The results of experiments in optimum conditions showed that the highest amount of Thymol was found in the essential oil obtained from aerial parts of thyme.