Characterization of aroma-active and phenolic profiles of wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) by GC-MS-Olfactometry and LC-ESI-MS/MS.

The present study was designed to characterize the volatile, aroma-active and phenolic compounds of wild thyme. Volatile components of T. serpyllum were extracted by use of the purge and trap technique with dichloromethane and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extraction method gave highly representative aromatic extract of the studied sample based on the sensory analysis. A total of 24 compounds were identified and quantified in Thymus serpyllum. Terpenes were qualitatively and quantitatively the most dominant volatiles in the sample. Aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) was used for the first time for the determination of aroma-active compounds of Thymus serpyllum. In total, 12 aroma-active compounds were detected in the aromatic extract by GC-MS-Olfactometry and terpenes were the most abundant compounds. High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was used for the phenolic compounds analysis. 18 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the T. serpyllum. Luteolin 7-O-glucoside, luteolin and rosmarinic acid were the most abundant phenolics in this herb.