Thyme oil (red)

Other comments :

The name given to thymes is representative of the colour of their flowers. For red thyme, they are red-violet. Red thyme is also consumed regularly in the mediterranean cuisine.
As a pioneer, thyme prepares soils to welcome genette, junipers and oaks.
Red thyme is the main precursor of natural Thymol, its major component.
The quality of thyme and its essential oil is subject to compliance with ISO standards imposed by the AFNOR (French Association of Standards). These standards relate to the physical and chemical characteristics of the plant and oil. Even though, adulteration is possible with synthetic Thymol or Eucalyptol or ajowan essential oil. This practice is less common than before.

Stability :

Aromatic compounds can be chromophoric and cause a coloration of the oil, especially in alkaline bases
The terpenes identified in this raw material can polymerize when they are oxidized

Uses in perfumery :

Gives an aromatic and sunny touch to woody, chypre and fougere compositions.

Chemotypes :

The genus Thymus includes about 350 different species and a very large number of different chemotypes. Among the main chemotypes are Thymol, Carvacrol, Eucalyptol, Linalool, Geraniol, p-Cymene, α-Thujene and Aplha-Terpineol thymes. These chemotypes may concern different species.

The Thymol chemotype of Red Thyme EO (Thymus vulgaris) is however the most used because it is very economical and it allows the isolation of many compounds of interest.
The Eucalyptol chemotype of White Thyme EO (Thymus mastichina) is also widely used.

Among the other species of the genus Thymus, in addition to the white thyme, there are: Moroccan thyme (Thymus satureioides - Borneol and Carvacrol), wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) with many chemotypes, conehead thyme (Thymus capitatus - Carvacrol or Thymol), Spanish thyme (Thymus zygis - Thymol or Linalool and many others).
This list is not exhaustive because thyme is an aromatic that has been subject to a lot of crossings throughout its history. Some species of thyme thus have two majority chemotypes.

Extraction process :

Thyme is a herbaceous plant that reaches up to 30 cm tall. Its fragrant principle is contained in its stems, but especially in its leaves, which are only one centimetre long. In Spain, almost all cultures are wild. The propagation of a thyme culture is done by sowing seeds. Cutting methods are also used. Also, a few tens of centimetres must be left between the plants to guarantee a better quality of the essential oil and a better extraction yield. The plants need a lot of sun exposure. The culture starts when the plant blooms (the flowers are white as reflected by the name of this thyme).
In cultivation, the leafy stems of thyme are mowed or hand picked to be dried for a few hours under 104 °F. In Spain, cultivation takes place from February to August. In France, this cut is made twice a year: the first one in May and the other one around September. However, it is also possible to find crops with one cut and others with three.
A steam distillation under pressure for 1.5 hours allows to collect an essential oil at the refrigerant outlet by decantation of the water. The extraction yield is between 1.5 and 2.5%.
Volatile solvent extraction provides an extraction yield of about 0.3%.

Geographic origin :

Data not available.