Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) is a plant worldwide cultivated mainly for essential oils, extracts, and as a spice. Up-to-date results showed diversity in composition of the essential oils, which may influence their quality, biological activity, and thermal properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and thermal properties of the rosemary essential oils originating from Serbia and Russia. Additionally, oils were added to the sunflower oils in order to investigate possible antioxidant activity during the frying. Investigation of the chemical profile marked α-pinene, eucalyptol, and camphor as the most abundant compounds in both oils. However, overall composition influenced in such manner that Russian oil showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity, while Serbian oil proved to be better antioxidant agent in case of frying of sunflower oil. This would significantly influence possible application of the oils, which could be used as an antioxidant agent for extension of the food shelf life, or antimicrobial agent for protection against different microbial strains.

The main goal of this research was to determine the relationship among chemical structure, bioactivity and temperature of chamomile during subcritical water extraction in isobaric conditions (45 bar) at seven different temperatures (65-210 °C). The influence of temperature on phenolic profiles was defined by UHPLC-HESI-MS/MS. The overall results indicate that the presence of conjugated double bonds, side chains, glucose moiety or ether moiety in molecules influence the efficiency of polyphenols' extraction in subcritical water. In terms of antioxidant activity, the extracts were the most active towards ABTS radicals (IC50 = 7.3-16.8 µg/mL), whereby temperature of 150 °C was optimal. On the other hand, the extracts obtained at 115 °C showed highest cytotoxicity. Inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase was the highest at 65 and 85 °C, i.e. 0.51 and 4.13 mmolAE/g, respectively. Activity against tyrosinase was the highest at 210 °C (17.92 mgKAE/g). The data showed that different non-phenolic compounds may also participate in bio-activities of the extracts.

Apigenin is a phytochemical which has been associated with numerous beneficial health effects. However, due to its low concentration and poor bioavailability, isolation from natural sources is very difficult. Subcritical water (SCW) is an excellent solvent for the extraction of moderately polar and non-polar flavonoids. Carefully balanced moderate hydrolytical potential of SCW was used in this work to liberate apigenin from its bound forms. In this research simultaneous extraction and hydrolysis of apigenin bound forms from chamomile have been performed. Optimal operation parameters for maximum yields of apigenin have been investigated and defined (solvent-to-sample ratio 1:30; agitation rate 3 Hz; pressure 45 bar; temperature 115 °C; time 30 min). Apigenin was further isolated in its pure form from water extracts obtained under optimal conditions using column chromatography. The purity of isolated compound was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. Biological activity of extracts obtained under optimal conditions were determined as well. In order to identify polyphenolic compounds UHPLC-HESI-MS/MS analysis was performed.