Evaluation of the effects of short-term amendment with olive mill pomace on some soil properties

The extraction of olive oil produces an enormous quantity of waste, such as olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and olive mill pomace (OMP), The majority of the agricultural wastes, including olive oil mill waste, are used as soil amendments due to their high nutritional value. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the amendment with olive mill pomace from a 3-phase cold-pressed system on the characteristics of the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and organic matter content (OM). The experiment was carried out using increasing rates of olive mill pomace (12.5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% w/w) plus the control untreated soil in microcosms under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the treatment of soil with olive mill pomace has a significant effect on soil properties (pH, EC, OM, OC, and CaCO3) soil pH was decreased under OMP treatment, especially with high doses of PR4 and PR5, and the electrical conductivity of the soil (EC) was increased, as well as soil carbonate content. Moreover, the soil organic matter content and soil organic carbon content were highly increased under the treatment with OMP. As a result, we can consider the olive mill pomace as a soil fertilizer. Pretreatment of olive mill pomace to reduce acidic pH and salt content before use as a soil amendment is also recommended. © 2022 by the authors

Investigation of photoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant capacities and lc–esi–ms phenolic profile of astragalus gombiformis pomel

Plant-derived compounds have recently been gaining popularity as skincare factors due to their ability to absorb ultraviolet radiations and their anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. In this light, this work aimed to evaluate in vitro the pharmacological activities of the butanolic extract prepared from the aerial parts of Astragalus gombiformis Pomel, an endemic species to southern Algeria. The sun protection factor was used to assess the photoprotective effect (SPF), the protein denaturation method to determine the anti-inflammatory activity, and brine shrimp nauplii and OxHLIA assay, respectively, to assess the cytotoxicity and antioxidant capacity of A. gombiformis. In addition, LC–ESI–MS analysis was employed for the characterization of the phenolic constituents of A. gombiformis. The results showed that A. gombiformis had high capacity for absorbing UV radiations with an SPF of 37.78 ± 0.85 and significant anti-inflammatory activity with a percentage inhibition of 75.38% which is close to that of diclofenac and ketoprofen. In addition, A. gombiformis was found to have effective cytotoxicity against Artemia nauplii with a DC50 value of about 44.7 µg/mL, but a weak hemolytic effect against human erythrocytes. LC–ESI–MS results detected the presence of 17 phenolic compounds with a predominance of cirsiliol, silymarin, quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside), and kaempferol. Taken together, these results suggest that A. gombiformis extract could be used as a skincare agent in cosmetic formulations, providing excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection, allowing the treatment of skin conditions, as well as a pharmaceutical agent with multidimensional applications.The authors are grateful to the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the National Centre for Biotechnology Research (C.R.B.T) for their respective financial and material supports