AMEA Botanika Ġnstitutunun elmi əsərləri, 2015-ci il, XXXV cild
116
Considering the importance of knowing the photochemical and antioxidant effects of essential oils in
various species of thyme, this research was conducted to study these factors at various harvest times.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thyme samples were collected from the Qaflankuh and Bozghoush ranges. To determine the
most suitable harvest time, the sampling sites were visited several times, samples were taken before
flowering and at full flowering in mid- and late-spring, and the water extraction method with a
Clevenger apparatus was employed. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used
to identify the compounds in the essential oil. The spectras were identified with the help of their
inhibitory index, by comparing it with the available indices in reference books and in articles, and
through adopting mass spectra of standard compounds. The obtained information (essential oil yield
and the quantities of the important secondary compounds) was statistically analyzed using the
completely randomized design in factorial arrangement by employing SAS, and Duncan‘s multiple
range tests at the 5% probability level was used to compare the means.
