EFFECT OF DROUGHT ON SAFFLOWER NATURAL DYES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

ABSTRACT Drought is the main abiotic constraint that affects crop species behaviour regarding biochemical responses. The current study was conducted to examine the effect of water deficit on growth, phenolic and carotenoid contents as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) flowers. Hence, plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control (100 %), moderate water deficit (50 %) and severe water deficit (25 %). Obtained results showed that plant growth was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced under 50 %. Drought increased flower phenolic acids contents especially gallic acid where they increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 2.73 fold (104) and by 2.87 fold (Jawhara) with respect to controls under 50 %. However, the amounts of this major compound were reduced at 25 % by 9.66 % (104) and 3.83 % (Jawhara). Similar to phenolic compounds, total carotenoid content was at its highest level especially for Jawhara with an increase by 35.19 % at 50 %. On the other hands, C. tinctorius flowers extracts exhibited high antiradical activity as compared to BHT. A gradual increase by 35.29 % (Jawhara) and 33.33 % (104) especially under 25 % was observed. Moreover, under 50 %, the antimicrobial activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 30 % and 10.05 % against Aspergillus carbonarus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that C. tinctorius could be a raw material for production of natural dyes under moderate salinity conditions

Effect of drought on safflower natural dyes and their biological activities

Drought is the main abiotic constraint that affects crop species behaviour regarding biochemical responses. The current study was conducted to examine the effect of water deficit on growth, phenolic and carotenoid contents as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) flowers. Hence, plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control (100 %), moderate water deficit (50 %) and severe water deficit (25 %). Obtained results showed that plant growth was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced under 50 %. Drought increased flower phenolic acids contents especially gallic acid where they increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 2.73 fold (104) and by 2.87 fold (Jawhara) with respect to controls under 50 %. However, the amounts of this major compound were reduced at 25 % by 9.66 % (104) and 3.83 % (Jawhara). Similar to phenolic compounds, total carotenoid content was at its highest level especially for Jawhar a with an increase by 35.19 % at 50 %. On the other hands, C. tinctorius flowers extracts exhibited high antiradical activity as compared to BHT. A gradual increase by 35.29 % (Jawhara) and 33.33 % (104) especially under 25 % was observed. Moreover, under 50 %, the antimicrobial activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 30 % and 10.05 % against Aspergillus carbonarus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that C. tinctorius could be a raw material for production of natural dyes under moderate salinity conditions

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of the medicinal halophyte Reaumuria vermiculata

Reaumuria vermiculata is a xero-halophytic specie widely distributed in the south of Tunisia. In the current study, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of Reaumuria vermiculata shoot extracts as well as its phenolic compounds were investigated in different solvent extracts (hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water). Results showed a strong antioxidant activity, using the ORAC method and a cell based-assay, in methanol extract as well as an important phenolic composition (117.12 mg GAE/g). Hexane and dichloromethane proved an interesting anticancer activity against A-549 lung carcinoma cells, with IC50 values of 17 and 23 μg/ml, respectively. Besides, dichloromethane extract displayed the utmost anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting NO release over 100 % at 80 μg /ml in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7. Taken together, these finding suggest that R. vermiculata exhibited an interesting biological activities which may be related to the phenolic composition of this plant. Moreover, the identification of phenolic compounds in R. vermiculata dichloromethane extract using RP-HPLC revealed that myricetin was the major molecule. These results allow us to propose R. vermiculata as a valuable source for bioactive and natural compounds exhibiting interesting biological capacities

Variations in composition and antioxidant activity of Tunisian Pistacia lentiscusL. leaf essential oil

In this study, the composition and antioxidant activity of Pistacia lentiscus L. leaf essential oil (EO) from four Tunisian localities were investigated. The EO yields (%, w/w) of P. lentiscus leaf were 0.009% in Oued El Bir, 0.02% in Jebel Mansour, 0.007% in Siliana and 0.01% in Tabarka. The main compounds of Oued El Bir EO were terpinene-4-ol (41.24%) and α-terpineol (7.31%), whereas those of Jebel Mansour were α-pinene (9.48%), limonene (19.11%) and α-phellandrene (3.20%). In Siliana samples, terpinene-4-ol (23.32%), β-caryophyllene (22.62%) and α-terpineol (7.12%) were the main compounds. For P. lentiscus L. from Tabarka, α-terpineol (9.79%) and β-caryophyllene (38.33%) were the major constituents. Three chemotypes of P. lentiscus EO were identified for the first time in Tunisia. P. lentiscus EOs were also screened for their antioxidant activities. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay gives an IC50 range value of 60–110 μg/mL for all the samples studied. EOs from different Tunisian localities showed lower β-carotene bleaching activity than butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisol. P. lentiscus EO presents a very low capacity to chelate ferrous irons (IC50 = 80.8–104 μg/mL) and no metal chelating activity was recorded

Green Solvent to Substitute Hexane for Bioactive Lipids Extraction from Black Cumin and Basil Seeds

A comparative study of bioactive lipids extraction from black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seeds using conventional petroleum-based solvent and green solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) was performed. MeTHF extraction allowed obtaining the highest oil yield in black cumin (34%). Regarding fatty acids composition, linoleic acid (61%) and α-linolenic (78%) were relevant in black cumin and basil green and conventionally extracted oils, respectively. Besides, MeTHF allowed obtaining higher tocopherols and total phenolics contents in black cumin (400 mg/kg of oil and 12 mg EGA/g oil) and basil (317 mg/kg oil and 5 mg EGA/g oil) compared to hexane-extracted ones. The content of major phenolic compounds in the two seed oils, trans-hydroxycinnamic acid, rosmarinic acid, and thymol was enhanced by MeTHF extraction. Furthermore, MeTHF-extracted oils possess stronger antioxidant activities (radical scavenging, total antioxidant, and β-carotene bleaching activities) and high and similar anti-inflammatory capacity to hexane-extracted oils. In conclusion, the results revealed that MeTHF is efficient to replace hazardous solvents to extract oil from black cumin and basil seeds rich in compounds relevant to the human diet, including essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 and n-3), tocopherols, and phenolic compounds with improved biological activities.Peer reviewe

Biochemical Characterization of Coriander Cakes Obtained by Extrusion

This study was designed to examine the effect of operating conditions such as nozzle diameter on fatty acid, sterol, and tocol composition of coriander cakes. Eight fatty acids were identified, with petroselinic acid accounting for 75-77% of the total fatty acids, followed by linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids, accounting for 12-13%, 5% and 3%, respectively, of the total fatty acids. beta-Sitosterol was the major sterol in all oils with 33-35% of total sterols. The next major sterols in all oils were stigmasterol (24% of total sterols) and Delta(7)-stigmasterol (15% of total sterols). Coriander cake contained higher amounts of total tocotrienol where gamma-tocotrienol was the main compund

Coupled extruder-headspace, a new method for analysis of the essential oil components of Coriandrum sativum fruits

A new method involving concurrent single screw extruder combined with continuous headspace dynamic for the extraction and identification of the essential oil of Coriandrum sativum L fruit was developed. The effect of six different nozzle diameters (5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 mm) on the content and chemical composition of the essential oil of coriander fruit was studied. The oils from fruit samples were obtained by OMEGA 20 extruder. The result showed that the highest yield (0.53%) was obtained by the diameter of the nozzle was 8 mm. Twenty-nine components were determined in essential oils, which were mostly hydrocarbons and alcohol monoterpenes. The main components linalool, alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene and limonene showed significant variations with drying trials

In Vitro Antioxidant, Antibacterial and Mechanisms of Action of Ethanolic Extracts of Five Tunisian Plants against Bacteria

Pistacia lentiscus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Erica multiflora, Calicotome villosa, and Phillyrea latifolia were considered important medicinal herbs and were used to treat various ailments. The present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ethanolic extracts (EEs). P. lentiscus and R. officinalis were the richest species in phenolic compounds. Similarly, both species showed the highest values of flavonoids. While the EEs of P. lentiscus, E. multiflora, and C. villosa had higher amounts of tannins. These phenolic compounds were evaluated by two different tests, namely diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric iron-reducing power (FRAP). The IC50 values were found to be significant (p &lt; 0.05) for P. lentiscus and E. multiflora. Similarly, both plants showed the highest ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). This study has been conducted to evaluate the antibacterial potential of EEs against selected bacteria&mdash;Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Salmonella typhimurium NCTC 6017)&mdash;and determine their modes of action. The ethanolic extracts inhibited bacterial growth by producing concentration-dependent zones of inhibition. Treatment with these extracts at their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) showed a significant reduction (p &lt; 0.05) in the viability of bacteria. The extracts did not induce total lysis. Bacteria organisms treated with EEs at MICs showed a significant (p &lt; 0.05) loss of tolerance to NaCl (5%). Our results highlighted the use of plant extracts as natural antibacterials that can be safely used in health care and led to the understanding of the antibacterial mechanism of plant extracts

Extraction of coriander oil by twin-screw extruder: Screw configuration and operating conditions effect

International audienceA new process, in which coriander fruits are pressed in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder, is examined here. Six tests were examined to define the best performance (oil extraction yield, and oil quality) by studying the influence of operating conditions, screw speed and flow rate. The screw speed and flow rate affected oil extraction yield. An increase of oil extraction yield was observed as the screw speed was increased (100 rpm) with a decreased flow rate of fruit (2.27 kg/g). Highest oil extraction yield was obtained under operating conditions of 50 rpm and 2.27 kg/h. Effect of the operating parameters on fatty acid composition was less important. Ten fatty acids were identified, with petroselinic acid accounting for 66-75%, followed by linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, accounting for 13-19%, 5-7% and 4-5%, respectively, of the total fatty acids. beta-Sitosterol was the major sterol in all oils with 31% of total sterols