Evaluation of and essential oils and plant extracts for chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.

The objectives of this study were (a) to obtain the essential oils (by hydrodistillation [HD] and microwave-assisted extraction [MAE] methods) to determine the effect of the oil extraction method on the chemical composition, oil yield (%), free radical scavenging activity (IC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value, and antimicrobial properties of (thyme) and (zahter); and (b) to determine the effect of different solvents (methanol [80%] and ethanol [80%]) on extraction by means of the phenolic acid composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, IC, and FRAP value of thyme and zahter. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the amount of thymol (55.35%; 50.