{"id":573060,"date":"2026-01-21T15:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=573060"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:42:21","slug":"compound-based-on-thyme-oil-proves-effective-against-aedes-aegypti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/compound-based-on-thyme-oil-proves-effective-against-aedes-aegypti\/","title":{"rendered":"Compound based on thyme oil proves effective against Aedes aegypti<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

An aromatic herb widely used in cuisine and natural medicine may become part of the weaponry in the fight against the Aedes aegypti<\/em> mosquito, which transmits dengue, zika, and chikungunya. The solution, devised at the School of Food Engineering of the University of Campinas (FEA-UNICAMP), contains the main active ingredient of essential thyme oil (Thymus vulgaris<\/em>), known for its larvicide effect. Protected by patent, the technology was licensed in 2024 to the company Z\u00f6ld Brasil, based in Santana do Parna\u00edba (S\u00e3o Paulo), which specializes in the control of urban pests and disease vectors.<\/p>\n

In laboratory and field tests, supported by the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) and the municipal government of Adamantina (S\u00e3o Paulo State), the product eliminated 100% of mosquito larvae within 48 hours, according to the study\u2019s leader Ana S\u00edlvia Prata. The larvicide, recommended for small domestic hotspots such as bottles, tires, plastics, and pots, was developed with support from FAPESP. An article was published in the journal Industrial Crops and Products <\/em>in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main innovation is the carrier\u2014a starch matrix developed to encapsulate and gradually release the thyme oil\u2014rather than the main ingredient itself,\u201d explains Prata. \u201cIn the literature, many essential oils and natural extracts act as a larvicide; the question is how to achieve the desired efficiency in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the researcher, many essential oils are ineffective because they are not very water-soluble and contain low-mass molecules, making them highly volatile. \u201cThis makes it harder to apply in water-based environments, where the larvae grow. its volatilization further reduces its efficacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution was to create a container for the thyme oil, made from biodegradable cornstarch particles. Taking the shape of a grain of 5 millimeters (mm) in diameter, the larvicide has an estimated shelf life in excess of four years, and behaves like the Aedes <\/em>egg, which can survive for up to two years in a dry state. Upon its contact with water, the larva-eclosion process begins, lasting around three days.<\/p>\n

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Pharmattila \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/span>The aromatic herbPharmattila \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe particles were designed to sink in the water and slowly release the oil. After three days the concentration is sufficient to eliminate the larvae,\u201d says Prata. Once the larvicide is placed into the recipient, only some of the oil enclosed therein is released, primarily due to the water-solubility limitations of the compound. After the water evaporates, the particles can be reused up to 5 times due to their resistance to rainy and dry cycles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThymol, the key active ingredient, is released slowly, prolonging its effect, which is interesting, like the stability of the formula,\u201d ponders Cl\u00e1udio von Zuben, of S\u00e3o Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro campus; he did not participate in the study, but has been involved in the development of other larvicides against Aedes aegypti<\/em>. \u201cOne of the limitations would be its use on small focus points only. Having said that, they are the most important in domestic environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Z\u00f6ld plans to launch the product at the beginning of 2026. \u201cWe are running laboratory tests and updating the documentation required by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) to have the active ingredients used in the formula classified as disinfestants or insecticides; currently they are considered to be flavoring compounds or disinfectants, says the company director C\u00e9sar Xavier.<\/p>\n

The story above was published with the title “Thyme against Aedes<\/em><\/strong>” in issue 355 of September\/2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Technology licensed to a company from S\u00e3o Paulo eliminated 100% of dengue mosquito larvae in tests","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":573065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[228,243,260,2413],"coauthors":[116],"class_list":["post-573060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-engineering","tag-innovation","tag-public-health","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573060"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":573073,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573060\/revisions\/573073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573060"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=573060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}