Non-Volatile and Volatile Bioactives of _Salvia officinalis_ L., _Thymus serpyllum_ L. and _Laurus nobilis_ L. Extracts with Potential Use in the Development of Functional Beverages  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Pharmacy, The School of Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
2 Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 1000 Zagreb, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (Z.Z.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.R.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (I.E.G.)  
[PERSON]  
3 Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
several plant species in the production of herbal extracts is performed depending on the composition and content of bioactive molecules, potential synergistic effects, and the type of functional beverage to obtain high-quality beverages with increased antioxidant activity and other effective properties [5; 6]. Mediterranean herbs such as sage, wild thyme, and laurel contain a specific composition of bioactive molecules (non-volatile polyphenols, volatile terpen) that could potentially contribute to the functional and sensory properties of target products. A wide range of polyphenols found in these herbs includes various flavonoids and phenolic acids [7; 8; 9; 10; 11], which have high solubility in water extracts. In contrast, during the production of herbal extracts, only a small fraction of volatiles (mainly from the essential oils) passes into aqueous extracts [12; 13; 14]. Their contribution to the herbal extract biopotential is minor, but even at very low concentrations, they may contribute to the sensory, especially the aromatic, properties of functional beverages.  
Polyphenols are the most abundant non-volatile bioactives in sage, wild thyme, and laurel that possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, antifungal, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects, and some of these effects can often be enhanced due to synergistic effects among structurally diverse polyphenols [9; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23]. The synergism of mixtures of major or minor phenolics affects different pathways of the disease and contributes to faster and more effective healing [24]. In addition, a synergistic effect between some volatile constituents has also been observed, which is especially important in the production of functional beverages as they can inhibit or reduce the natural oxidation process of the products [25; 26; 27; 28].  
Although sage, wild thyme, and laurel extracts are recognized as rich sources of polyphenols and specific volatile compounds, there is still insufficient data and necessary knowledge about their potential synergistic effects and their application in the preparation of functional beverages. Therefore, the aims of this study (first-time report) were to (a) characterize the main bioactive molecules of sage, wild thyme and laurel; (b) determine the biopotential of one-, two- and three-component extracts of selected herbs and (c) define the formulations with the highest antioxidant capacity (DPPH radical scavenging and oxygen radical absorbance capacity) for potential application in the enrichment or development of a new functional beverage.