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The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris (TVEO) has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. However, its low solubility and high volatility have limited its usage. In this study, TVEO was extracted, and its chemical composition was identified. The TVEO was extracted using a Clevenger-type apparatus and identified using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). An inclusion complex was then formulated with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) to enhance its solubility, and the antibacterial activity was tested against 14 multidrug-resistant bacteria. When treated with the complex, the inactivation kinetics of Salmonella typhimurium were evaluated under simulated intestinal conditions. Thymol and carvacrol were identified as the significant components of TVEO, comprising 47.53% and 19.27% of the oil, respectively. The solubility diagram of enclosed Thymol exhibited a Bs-type profile, with an association constant (Ks) of 202.35 M−1 and a complexation efficiency of 55.07% for the formulated complex TVEO-βCD. The antibacterial activity demonstrated significant inhibition against all tested strains except for three. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the TVEO-β-CD complex against S. typhimurium in intestinal conditions, a novel application. Unlike prior research, our work focuses on this complex's efficacy, specifically against Salmonella, showing prolonged inhibitory effects. This reveals the enhanced antibacterial activity of β-CD in solubilising TVEO, offering potential as an antimicrobial agent.
Benchallal et al. (Sat,) studied this question.