20.500.12556/DKUM-100062 Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum extraction, distillation, and encapsulation strategies, phytochemical composition and bioactivity In recent years, Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum essential oils and polyphenolic extracts have attracted considerable attention as sources of bioactive compounds with health-related biological effects. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and comparative evaluation of these two species, focusing on extraction and distillation strategies, phytochemical composition, biological activities, and encapsulation approaches. The influence of chemotype, geographical origin, environmental conditions, and extraction methodology on the composition of essential oils and extracts of both species was critically evaluated. Both species are characterized by the presence of monoterpenes (thymol and carvacrol) and polyphenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid and flavonoids), although their relative abundance varies depending on multiple factors. Reported biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and anticarcinogenic effects, were evaluated with emphasis on the limitations of cross-study comparison and the distinction between essential oils, extracts, and isolated compounds. Encapsulation strategies were highlighted as promising approaches for improving stability, bioavailability, and biological activity of Thymus vulgaris and Thymus serpyllum essential oils, extracts, and individual compounds. This review provides a solid basis for the interpretation of existing findings and indicates directions for future research requiring further pharmacological and toxicological validation. thymus vulgaris extraction distilation bioactivity timijan ekstrakcija distilacija fotokemične strategije biološki učinki true false true Springer Nature Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://link.springer.com/journal/11101  The Author(s) 2026 Članek v reviji 2026-09-03 13:55:54 2026-09-03 13:55:55 2026-09-04 03:08:41 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 52 str. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-07-18 2026-07-08 2026-08-24 543.2/.9 289296899 10.1007/s11101-026-10292-0 1572-980X https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11101-026-10292-0?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20260824&utm_content=10.1007/s 1 6d662455-a78e-11f1-b55d-00155d0001be https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=211423 s11101-026-10292-0.pdf s11101-026-10292-0.pdf 1 1A65C78D994D2C83F48E3FDADB61BEAC 84a74713feb1ff0bcf04d816af916dcca1c7725d06d97ec78d1e62c6081faa72 504120b3-a78f-11f1-b55d-00155d0001be https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=211425 Fakulteta za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo 0 0 0