Anti-Acanthamoeba activity of Tunisian Thymus capitatus essential oil and organic extracts.

Acanthamoeba species are free-living amoebae widely distributed in the environment and which cause serious human infections. The treatment of Acanthamoeba infections is always very difficult and not constantly effective. More efficient drugs against Acanthamoeba must be developed and medicinal plants can be useful in this case.

Combined effect of carnosol, rosmarinic acid and thymol on the oxidative stability of soybean oil using a simplex centroid mixture design.

Background: Oxidation taking place during the use of oil leads to the deterioration of both nutritional and sensorial qualities. Natural antioxidants from herbs and plants are rich in phenolic compounds and could therefore be more efficient than synthetic ones in preventing lipid oxidation reactions. This study was aimed at the valorization of Tunisian aromatic plants and their active compounds as new sources of natural antioxidant preventing oil oxidation.

Influence of Tunisian aromatic plants on the prevention of oxidation in soybean oil under heating and frying conditions.

The aim of this study was to improve the oxidative stability of soybean oil by using aromatic plants. Soybean oil flavored with rosemary (ROS) and soybean oil flavored with thyme (THY) were subjected to heating for 24h at 180°C. The samples were analyzed every 6h for their total polar compounds, anisidine values, oxidative stability and polyphenols content.