Determination of macro- and microelement contents in thyme oil and rosemary oil by ICP-OES

English (OpenAlex)

Essential oils are defined as complex mixtures of natural compounds that contain aldehydes, unsaturated and saturated phenols, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and terpenes.Thyme oil, obtained by steam distillation from the perennial plant and its flowers known as Thymus vulgaris, has antioxidant, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and calming properties.It has been used as a medicinal plant since ancient times.It is also used as a preservative in foods and cosmetics.Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is one of the most preferred natural sources of active drug substances.Rosemary oil is a natural oil obtained from the leaves and flowers of the rosemary plant.Rosemary oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties.In addition, it is stated that rosemary is among the plants that the body supports in protecting against cancerous cell formation.The content of elements (Cu, B, P, Fe, Na, Mg, K, Ca) in commercial thyme and rosemary oils was investigated by ICP-OES after wet digestion.0.5 g sample was weighed and HNO3-H2O2 (10 ml, 2:1, v/v) was added.The oil samples were heated at 80 °C until clear solutions were obtained.The method was validated through accuracy, precision, linearity, recovery, LOD (limit of detection) and LOQ (limit of quantification) parameters.The lowest metal content in thyme oil was found for Fe (0.68 µg/g) while the highest metal content -for P (100.73 µg/g).For rosemary oil, the lowest metal content was found for Mg (0.15 µg/g) while the highest metal content -for P (220.98 µg/g).