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A possibility of using carbon sorbents for the extraction, preconcentration, and chromatographic determination of phenolic substances of plant origin is investigated. A method is proposed for the preconcentration of biologically active substances from extracts of medicinal plants with carbon sorbents followed by the desorption of analytes with organic solvents at elevated temperature and pressure. Some sorption characteristics of carbon materials Supelclean ENVI-Carb and HyperSep Hypercarb in relation to phenolcarboxylic acids and flavonoids isolated from aqueous extracts of St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum L. are studied. The conditions of the sorption and desorption of analytes of various classes are optimized. A possibility of using carbon sorbents for the extraction and preconcentration of phenolic substances from aqueous extracts of various medicinal plants is shown using an examples of creeping thyme Thymus serpyllum L. and sage Salvia officinalis L.

The light decides about the course and efficiency of photochemical processes, being an important component of the surrounding environment shaping the plant composition in specific conditions. Thymus praecox subsp. praecox belongs to endangered taxa due to preferences for open habitats, which as a result of natural succession are exposed to overgrowth and shading with forest-scrub vegetation. In this study, an attempt was made to check the physiological activity of creeping thyme in changing environmental conditions prevailing on isolated stands in the Ojców National Park (Southern Poland). The increase in fresh and dry mass and the percentage of water in plants were determined, the content of chlorophyll a and b was measured, the intensity of chlorophyll a fluorescence was examined and the degree of electrolytes leakage through cell membranes was checked. The main aim was to determining the optimal habitat conditions for this taxon, which could help protect it. Based on the conducted research it was found, among others higher mass increase in plants from a sunny stand. Regardless of the measurement period, an increase in chlorophyll a and b content and a higher degree of cell membranes destabilisation in plants from a partially shaded stand was observed. The obtained results show, that T. praecox subsp. praecox characterises small habitat flexibility - even partial shade is not a convenient habitat for it. To optimal development, this subspecies requires conditions with high light availability. Creeping thyme is a heliophilic and thermophilic taxa and the sunny stands are optimal for it.

The paper analyzes modern methods for studying the staling process of flour confectionery products, namely, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning colorimetry. Since the crystalline structure of finished flour confectionery products is formed directly by starch, sugar and other carbohydrates, and the processes associated with the moisture content in them affect their storage. To conduct research on staling processes, the X-ray phase analysis method is used on a DRON-UM-1 diffractometer (Russia), and it revealed the degree and types of deformation of the crystal structure of substances. Diffraction maxima of starch are studied at reflection angles in the range of 10–30°. The objects of research are the «Bdzhilka» and «Imbyrni Pikantni» author’s gingerbreads, and the «Pivnichni» gingerbreads are chosen as the base sample for comparison. The gingerbread recipes contain the following raw materials: – «Bdzhilka» – peeled rye flour, fermented rye malt, artificial honey, sunflower oil, skimmed milk powder, apple butter, bee pollen, creeping thyme inflorescence powder; – «Imbyrni Pikantni» – peeled rye flour, rye malt extract, invert syrup, dried cheese whey, ginger root powder, elderberry inflorescence powder. As a result of X-ray phase analysis, the destruction degree of the starch crystal lattice in the pulp structure of the developed gingerbread is studied. The interaction of starch with other carbohydrates and their influence on the formation of the final crystalline structure of finished products and changes in the crystal structure during storage are analyzed. The processes of staling up of fresh gingerbread, after 2 and 4 months of storage, which are affected by the processes of self-association, hydrotreatment of mono- and disaccharides, degradation and retrograde of starch, are studied. The features of the staling process after 2 and 4 months of storage using the analysis of diffraction peak peaks are revealed. The retrogradation process of starch in finished products based on the obtained diffractograms is analyzed and the ability of the used natural additives in gingerbreads to extend their shelf life is proved. The results of these studies can be implemented in the confectionery industry in order to produce products with a long shelf life.

Many important herbs [e.g., mint (Mentha sp.), thyme (Thymus sp.)], underused and nutritious vegetables [e.g., purslane (Portulaca oleracea), amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor)], and important biological control plants [e.g., sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)] have small seeds (≤ 1.5-mm long) that are difficult to plant with raw (i.e., nonpelleted) seed using existing seeders. A novel tool known as the slide hammer (SH) seeder was developed for the precise seeding of raw seeds of small-seeded plants. The SH seeder is a jab-type planter made primarily from electrical conduit tubing and other materials that are inexpensive and readily available in a hardware store or on the Internet. The interchangeable seed hopper is made from a plastic snap cap vial that has one or more holes of varying diameter depending on the desired seeding rate and seed size. Seed forms a “bridge” above the hole in the vial until they are dislodged from the force of the SH that discharges seeds to fall to the soil. Detailed plans are provided for how to make and use the SH seeder. The fabrication time is 2 to 4 hours with a material cost of ≈$32. I determined the seed vial hole specifications for the precise seeding of a variety of small-seeded plants, including chives (Allium schoenoprasum), chinese chives (Allium tuberosum), basil (Ocimum basilicum), grain amaranth (Amaranthus sp.), sweet alyssum, purslane, creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), and spearmint (Mentha spicata) that ranged in size from ≈200 to 11,000 seeds per gram. The diameter of the hole that was suitable for discharging the seed from the vial was always larger than the average seed length, and the ratio of hole diameter to seed length ranged from 1.07 to 1.62. Seeding rate uniformity evaluations were conducted for these species using vials with one vs. two holes and showed that the seeding rate was higher by an average of 58% to 173% from a vial with two holes compared with one hole. For most plant species evaluated, the SH seeder was able to dispense as few as one to three seeds consistently. Seed discharge increased somewhat with increasing SH weight for all species evaluated. The SH seeder can be useful for interplanting sweet alyssum as an insectary plant for aphid (Aphidoidea) control between existing plants of organic lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and for intercropping cultivars of purslane as a novel vegetable in between transplanted organic broccoli (Brassica oleracea Italica group) plants. This novel seeding tool has many potential uses for direct, hand seeding in vegetable and herb production systems and in weed research trials. The seeder could be automated and made with a variety of alternative materials.

Voles of the genus Microtus are considered the major mammalian pest species affecting tree fruit crops in North America and Europe. During winter, voles feed on bark, vascular tissues, and sometimes roots of trees. Rodenticides continue to be the major method used to reduce vole populations in orchards, but an alternative approach could be a living mulch along tree rows that would provide weed management, have a low growth habit, and be repellent to voles. We examined four living mulches installed in young apple orchards: hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum (L.) Scop.), and creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.). Forage grasses were used as a “control” in two experiments. Efficacy of these mulches was evaluated by their growth and effects on (1) abundance of total orchard herbaceous plants, (2) abundance of montane voles (Microtus montanus Peale), and (3) feeding damage to apple trees in field trials at Summerland, British Columbia, Canada in 2007–2010. A sixth treatment, glyphosate herbicide, was added in Experiment 2. Hairy vetch and birdsfoot trefoil did not suppress herbaceous vegetation along tree rows, but birdsfoot trefoil had fewer voles than either hairy vetch or forage grasses. Sweet woodruff and creeping thyme both reduced abundance of orchard herbs compared with the control forage grasses and this effect was maintained for two of three growing seasons. Forage grasses and sweet woodruff had increasing proportions of mulch dominating the growing sites, whereas creeping thyme did not. Both sweet woodruff and creeping thyme seemed to repel voles with reduced damage to trees in two winters, but not summer 2010, compared with the forage grasses sites. Vole numbers were, on average, 1.4 to 4.9 times higher in the forage grasses than the other two sites. However, the relatively high degree of feeding damage (>45% mortality) to young apple trees (except for 16% mortality for creeping thyme in one winter) in all three seasons was a major limitation. These tree mortality levels are unacceptable economically and suggest strongly that living mulches may not be a practical solution for weed management in organic or conventional orchards. Orchard-scale experiments that emulate real-world farming practices might yield living mulch habitats that are not as desirable for voles as those examined in our study. Herbicide sites had the lowest abundance of herbaceous vegetation, voles, and provided complete protection of apple trees compared to than any of the other treatment sites.

A procedure for the determination of Phenolic compounds in extracts from the medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family—garden sage (Salvia officinalis L.), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum L.), wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare L.), and common balm (Melissa officinalis L.)—obtained under different extraction conditions was developed. The identification of the extracted compounds was performed and their qualitative and quantitative composition was established by HPLC with diode array and mass-spectrometric detection with consideration for the obtained characteristics of the standard samples of individual components. The test samples of medicinal herbs contained caffeic acid (0.19–0.62 mg/g) and rosmaric acid (4–23 mg/g); the highest rosmaric acid content (23 mg/g) was found in wild marjoram, and the lowest content (4 mg/g), in creeping thyme. The extracts of wild marjoram contained the greatest amounts of Phenolic compounds; rosmaric acid and luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide were major components, whereas protocatechuic, 3-O-caffeoylquinic, and caffeic acids were minor components.

Мета роботи. Підбір кількостей допоміжних речовин при одержані порошкової маси на основі густого екстракту чебрецю повзучого.Матеріали і методи. Густий екстракт чебрецю повзучого, який отримували згущенням у роторному випарювачі LABOROTA4001 при температурі 80 °С рідкого екстракту чебрецю повзучого. Дослідження впливу кількостей допоміжних речовин для одержання порошкової маси з густим екстрактом чебрецю повзучого проводили за допомогою регресійного аналізу (симетричний композиційний ротатабельний уніформ-план другого порядку).Результати й обговорення. Вивчено вплив кількісних факторів на показники якості порошкової маси з густим екстрактом чебрецю повзучого, за допомогою рівнянь регресії досліджено взаємозв’язок між ними. Встановлено, що збільшення кількості неусіліну UFL 2 позитивно впливає на швидкість течії через насадку, тоді як збільшення кількості натрію кроскармелози підвищує значення насипної густини суміші до і після усадки та значно зменшує кут природного укосу. Надаючи рівнянням регресії канонічного вигляду та провівши аналіз ліній рівного виходу отримано оптимальний склад порошкової маси з густим екстрактом чебрецю повзучого.Висновок. На основі комплексу проведених досліджень запропоновано склад порошкової маси з густим екстрактом чебрецю повзучого: густого екстракту чебрецю повзучого (сухий залишок - 80 %) в перерахунку на сухий - 0,075 г, неусіліну UFL 2 - 0,02 г, натрію кроскармелози - 0,022 г, МКЦ 101 - 0,078 г.

Dermacentor reticulatus ticks are among the most important arthropod vectors of zoonotic disease agents in Europe. Eleven essential oils, namely basil (Ocimum basilicum), bergamot (Citrus bergamia), clove bud (Syzygium aromaticum), citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora), marjoram (Origanum majorana), peppermint (Mentha piperita), spearmint (M. spicata), and red thyme (Thymus vulgaris) were tested for repellency against adult D. reticulatus ticks at concentrations of 1 and 3%. Clove bud, creeping thyme and red thyme essential oils were the most efficient - repelling 83, 82 and 68% of ticks when diluted to 3%, respectively. The mixture of creeping thyme and citronella containing 1.5% of each showed higher repellency (91%) than individual essential oils at the concentration of 3%.

Living mulch cover crops can improve soil health and build organic matter, yet their use in fruit orchards comes with a risk of encouraging meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus), a rodent that can be destructive to fruit trees. Several living mulch cover crop species were assessed in an apple (Malus ×domestica) orchard understory along with wood chip mulch and bare ground. Desired species characteristics were weed competitiveness, low growth habit, nitrogen fixation, and potential rodent repellency. Legume species included birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), medic (Medicago spp.), and subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum), which were planted in solid stands as well as mixtures. Nonlegume species included sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), and colonial bentgrass (Agrostis tenuis). Meadow vole presence was evaluated in fall and spring with point-intersect and run-length measurements. A legume mix (medic, birdsfoot trefoil, subterranean clover, and colonial bentgrass) had the highest meadow vole presence, with no reduction under the “sandwich” system of tilling either side of the tree trunks while leaving a cover crop in a narrow strip with the trunks. The nonlegume mix [colonial bentgrass, sweet alyssum, creeping thyme, and fivespot (Neomophila maculata)] had similar results. However, the sweet woodruff (planted in the “sandwich” system) had significantly lower presence of meadow voles than the other living mulches. Wood chip mulch, cultivation, and bare ground control were all similar, with very low presence, indicating low risk of meadow vole damage. The results from the sweet woodruff suggest that we need more research on the potential to select living mulches that are nonattractive or repellent to meadow voles for use in orchards.

In wild growing populations, higher essential oil levels have been detected in Thymus pannonicus (T. pannonicus; 0.005–1.103 ml/100 g DW) than in T. praecox (Creeping thyme) (0.005–0.110 ml/100 g DW). T. pannonicus tolerated a variety of substrates and vegetation types, but preferred a slightly acidic or neutral pH and elevated levels of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, and Cr in soil. T. praecox could survive only on calciferous substrate of wild habitats and could not tolerate soil extremes or serious disturbances. T. pannonicus was a thymol (25–41%)/p-cymene (17–38%) chemotype, while T. praecoxwas a geraniol (18–23%)/germacrene D (14–16%)/β-caryophyllene (4–12%) chemotype. The thymol concentration was positively correlated with humus, N, K, Mg, and Cd contents of the soil.

Hydrodistillation of essential oils was studied using a model with broken and intact cells, in which the solute located in the cells with broken walls is rapidly extracted and the solute from intact cells diffuses slowly to the surface of botanical material. The essential oil is regarded as a pseudo-component. Model equations describe two types of particles: the leaves, where a part of the solute is deposited on the surface in fragile glandular trichomes, and the ground particles, with initially homogeneous solute distribution. Analytical solution of model equations contains two time constants, the larger one related to essential oil diffusion from the particle core. Using literature data, the model was applied to hydrodistillation of creeping thyme leaves and intact coriander seeds. The effective diffusivity of oil in coriander seed was evaluated as 1.7 × 10−11[sol ]m2[sol ]s. A further model development should respect the different volatilities of essential oil components, leading to changes in the distilled oil composition in the course of the process. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Peppermint, creeping thyme, and sage herbs, as well as yarrow flowers were extracted with supercritical and liquid carbon dioxide at 9-13 MPa and 25-60?C. Two extraction periods were distinguished except in the case of thyme extraction. Almost pure essential oil was extracted in the first, fast period. The extraction was retarded in the second period controlled by essential oil-matrix interaction, and waxes and water prevailed over the essential oil in the extract. To estimate the effect of essential oil-vegetable oil interaction during the extraction of essential oils from seeds, the limonene + vegetable oil + CO2 equilibrium was investigated using thermodynamic modeling. Changes in the composition of the essential oil in the extracts are demonstrated on the example of sage oil. Compared to hydro distillation, the extracts contained less monoterpenes, the most volatile components, because the separation of the extract from gaseous ??2 in the cold trap was incomplete. The yield of sesqui- and di-terpenes in the extracts, however, was higher than their yield by hydrodistillation. The extraction of sage essential oil was most efficient at 13 MPa and 50?C, when the yield of diterpene manool was more than two times higher than its yield by hydrodistillation.

Greenhouse and field-grown `Seyval blanc' grapevines (Vitis sp.) were grown with low-growing, shallow-rooted, mat-forming, ornamental perennial groundcovers, and the effect of the groundcovers on the vegetative and fruiting growth of the grapevines was evaluated. The groundcovers used in this experiment were `Kentucky-31' tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea); white mazus (Mazus japoonicus albus); english pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium); dwarf creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum minus); strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum); `Heavenly Blue' veronica (Veronica prostrata `Heavenly Blue'); and a companion grass mixture of 75% perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and 25% red fescue (Festuca rubra). A control treatment grown without any groundcover was also used in both the greenhouse and field experiments. All of the groundcovers reduced `Seyval blanc' total shoot length from 22% to 85% in the vineyard. Cluster size was reduced in the field from 7% to 68% by the groundcovers compared to the herbicide control treatment, and from 9% to 66% in the greenhouse experiment, but none of the groundcovers in either the greenhouse or field experiments affected the pH, total acidity, or soluble solids concentrations of the `Seyval blanc' juice. English pennyroyal was the only groundcover that reduced in the leaf area of the grapevine. Single-leaf photosynthesis of the `Seyval blanc' grapevines in the field experiment was reduced by all groundcovers except mazus and creeping thyme. Water infiltration rates were 10 to 50 times higher in the groundcovers compared to the bare soil of the herbicide control treatment. Weed growth in the field caused reduction in shoot length similar to the most competitive groundcovers. Weed growth was reduced in the early season by the english pennyroyal and companion grass, and in the late season by all groundcovers. The reduction in growth of the grapevines caused by groundcovers in the greenhouse was a reasonable screen for the affect of groundcovers in the field. The mazus treatment was the only groundcover in our experiments that coupled fast growth with low competitive ability.

Summary This study presents the inhibitory activity of 31 essential oils tested by agar diffusion assay/aromatogramme on 658 vaginal microorganisms: 287 Candida albicans, 121 Escherichia coli, 114 Streptococcus group B (S. agalactiae), 80 Streptococcus group D (Enterococcus faecalis), 30 Staphylococcus aureus and 26 Staphylococcus epidermis. Statistical analysis (reciprocal averaging) demonstrates high antimicrobial activity of certain essential oils: Coridothymus capitatus Reichb. (Spanish oregano), Cinnamomum zeylanicum Ness. (Ceylon cinnamon), Cinnamomum cassia Ness. (Chinese cinnamon), Thymus vulgaris L. (Thyme), Satureja hortensis L. (savory), Thymus serpyllum L. (creeping thyme) and Pinus pinaster Ait. (turpentine resin). The agar diffusion assay/aromatogramme ensures a more effective aromatherapy treatment. A prescription with essential oils avoids over use of antibiotics. Furthermore, in some cases essential oils can be combined with antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, giving faster and longer-lasting results.

The effects of leaches from dry leaves of 71 ground cover plant species on lettuce were tested at the first screening. The inhibitory effects on radicle and hypocotyl elongations of lettuce varied with the different species of cover plants that were used. Eight species of Oxalis showed strong inhibitions (4–27% of untreated control on radicle elongation). Inhibitory activities of seven species of cover plants on three weed species, live amaranth (Amaranthus lividus), southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) and common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), were tested at the second screening. Moss pink (Phlox subulata), trefoil (Oxalis brasiliensis), red spiderlily (Lycoris radiata), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), European pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) were selected as donor plants because of their high inhibitory effects on lettuce growth and their usefulness as ornamental ground cover plants. Effects of leaches from dry leaves and exudates from the roots of these species were assayed on agar. Radicle elongations of all tested weed species were inhibited by leaches from trefoil and red spiderlily (8–31% and 14–24% of untreated control, respectively) and exudates from moss pink, trefoil and creeping thyme (11–43%, 31–74% and 22–67% of untreated control, respectively).

Gas chromatographic (GC) techniques for the determination of the major biologically active mono-terpenoids in peppermint, fennel, garden sage and creeping thyme plant material and water infusions were developed. The analysis requires 1–2 g of plant material or 100–200 g of infusion and takes no more than 1.5 h, including distillation and GC. The techniques allow the analysis of the herbs and infusions without the determination of the total essential oil content and weighing of isolated oils for chromatography. It was found that the essential oil component ratios were changed on dissolution in water during the preparation of infusions. The average values of the extraction factors for monoterpene alcohols, ketones, phenols and peroxides extracted from plant material are ten times those for related hydrocarbons and ethers extracted under the same conditions.

The results on the chemical composition of the essential oils hydrodistilled from three forms of T. serpyllum growing wild in the Curonian Spit (west of Lithuania) are presented in this study. GC and GC/MS results of volatile oils show that the analysed plants can be defined as a specific chemotype within the Serpyllum section, which can be characterised by a high content of 1,8-cineole (16.3-19.0 %) in the essential oil. In addition, one form of the plants with white-coloured blossoms was exceptionally rich in E-carvyl acetate (18.7%). Phenolic compounds, thymol and carvacol, were not detected in the T. serpyllum plants analysed, which is a characteristic feature of the Serpyllum species growing in the Northern European countries.