Silveira, Tayse F. F. daEchegaray, NoemíGuimarães, RafaelaLemos, AndréPires, Tânia C.S.P.Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.Alves, Maria JoséBarros, Lillian2024-10-212024-10-212025Silveira, Tayse F.F. da; Echegaray, Noemí; Guimarães, Rafaela; Lemos, André; Pires, Tânia C.S.P.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Alves, Maria José; Barros, Lillian (2025). Unveiling the impact of thermal water in German chamomile infusions: effects on phenolic compounds, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Food Chemistry. ISSN 0308-8146. 463, p. 1-110308-8146http://hdl.handle.net/10198/30467German chamomile (GC) and thermal water (TW) are widely known for their biological properties. This study explored whether combining GC with TW could promote an improvement in the bioactivities of GC infusions compared to using drinking water (DW). DW was tested at 100 ◦C (GC-100DW) and TW at both 100 ◦C (GC-100TW) and 60 ◦C (GC-60TW). The use of TW for preparing infusions was associated with the reduction of the number and concentration of extracted phenolic compounds, with GC-60TW showing the lowest levels. It was also associated with a decrease in the antioxidant activity of the samples, as indicated by lower ORAC values and higher EC50 levels for TBARS. However, GC infusions prepared with TW, particularly GC-100TW, exhibited higher antibacterial and antifungal activities. These findings suggest that while TW’s high mineral content affected phenolic extraction and antioxidant potential, it was associated with enhanced antimicrobial activity, partially confirming our hypothesis.engNatural mineral watersFunctional beverageBioactive propertiesMineralsChromatographyjournal article10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141481