How Quantity of Bioactive Compounds of Zataria multiflora Differ Using Traditional or Modern Extraction Methods

For obtaining bioactive compounds, decoction of Zataria multiflora Boiss. (ZM) plant materials was interactively evaluated and compared with the modern method of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The interactive effects of several parameters including; liquid to solid (L/S) ratio, extraction time, extraction method, and plant material size were studied and optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). Interpretation of the model outputs revealed that total phenolic content (TPC) of the resulting extracts is mostly affected by the interactive effect of plant material size and the extraction time, while rosmarinic acid (RA) content is only affected by the extraction method. Decoctions was found to have higher RA content (21.19 (mg/g E)) in comparison to UAE extractions (11.64 (mg/g E)), statistically significant at (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, UAE as the modern method of extraction showed no privilege over the conventional method in the case of RA and TPC extraction. However, results suggest higher efficiency of UAE compared to decoction for extraction of antioxidant compounds by water. Eventually, ZM decoction obtained by the optimal extraction conditions was chemically characterized for the first time by the aid of LC-MS/MS chromatography. Naringenin, which is almost exclusively found in Citrus fruits, besides luteolin-7-O-rutinoside and a natural derivative of citric acid were shown to be the major constituents of ZM decoction.