Study of the Traditional Argan Oil Oxidation under Different Storage Conditions

The autoxidation of argan oil extracted traditionally was followed during a long-term storage, using plastic bottles in presence of air, under nitrogen atmosphere or at 4 °C, in comparison with transparent glass bottles. The autoxidation was evaluated by the simultaneous monitoring of four parameters for a period of 18 months: tocopherols content, oleic and linoleic acids, conjugated dienes and peroxide value.The results showed that the storage in plastic bottles in the light at room temperature, delayed the oxidative degradation of the oil relatively to the transparent glass. This degradation was mitigated by the presence of nitrogen. The maximum content of hydroperoxides, resulting from the degradation of unsaturated fatty acids, was reached after 306 days in the presence of air and 321 days in the presence of nitrogen in the plastic bottles. This effect was recorded only after 273 days in the glass vials. Conjugated dienes changed in the same way as hydroperoxides. The degradation of unsaturated fatty acids taked place after the destruction of tocopherols including ?-tocopherol, which was the major form in the argan oil. The shelf life of the oil was longer (over 18 months) when plastic bottles were placed at 4 °C. The results showed that argan oil extracted traditionally had high stability against the oxidation due to its richness in tocopherols which are powerful antioxidants. Keywords: Argan oil, glass, nitrogen, oxidation, plastic, storage, temperatur

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis by HPLC of Major Peganum harmala Alkaloids at Different Stages of Development

The analysis of major Peganum harmala alkaloids (harmaline, harmine, harmol and harmalol) has shown that the content of these secondary metabolites depends on the plant development stage. The qualitative and quantitative profile of major alkaloids change significantly between stems, leaves and roots. The roots and seeds are the richest and most diversified organs in these metabolites. The concentration of the major alkaloids in all organs increases during the first three weeks and stabilizes at a constant level during vegetative growth phase and then decline at the beginning of flowering. On the scale of the whole plant, major alkaloids concentration of P. harmala varies with the developmental stage of the plant between 21.16 and 26.96 mg/g and harmine remains the most abundant molecule. Optimum exploitation of these natural products from the P. harmala plant is possible if the harvest of plant material occurs during the vegetative growth phase and at the appropriate stage for the richest organ. Keywords: Peganum harmala, Plant growth, Alkaloids, Harmine, Harmaline, Harmol, Harmalo

Etude de l'extraction de l'huile de Cactus

Généralement en été, les quantités en figues de barbarie se trouvent en surabondance dans les lieux de production plus que sur les lieux de vente. Les lieux de production se trouvent loin de ceux de consommation et les périodes de récolte coïncident avec les moments les plus chauds de l'année. Ces facteurs facilitent l'altération des fruits par divers phénomènes physiques, chimiques et microbiologiques, ce qui entraîne d'énormes pertes pour les producteurs. Les rejets de fruits sont des sources de graines riches en huile

Détermination de la stabilité de l'huile de Cactus

Les travaux que nous avons effectués sur l'étude de l'oxydation et de la conservation des huiles ont montré que l'huile d'argan peut être conservée pour une durée de 400 jours sous azote et à l'obscurité. Les travaux que nous avons effectués sur l'étude de l'oxydation et de la conservation des huiles ont montré que l'huile d'argan peut être conservée pour une durée de 400 jours sous azote et à l'obscurité

Évaluation d’une filière simplifiée de compostage des ordures ménagères

The concept of organic matter recovery for use in agriculture is attracting a great deal of attention. In Morocco, municipal solid waste contains large amounts of organic matter nevertheless, the composting facilities have some problems due to the high waste moisture level and to endproduct quality. A simplified composting system is experimented in a plant recently built in Agadir. Analytical results of ten samples taken from ten windrows of compost, which are 10 to 15 months, show some improvements of end-product aspects, however the presence of physical contaminants and the high soluble salt content limit its applications in agriculture.Le concept de protection de l’environnement s’oriente vers les méthodes de recyclage et de conservation de la matière organique. Au Maroc, les ordures ménagères sont riches en matières putrescibles. Toutefois leur compostage à grande échelle se heurte à leur forte teneur en eau et à la qualité du produit fini. Une filière simplifiée est expérimentée à Agadir avec des ordures ménagères séchées et non broyées. La caractérisation de dix andains de compost montre une amélioration de sa qualité. Cependant, le manque de finition du produit et sa salinité élevée limitent ses applications en agriculture

Sorption isotherms and isosteric heats of sorption of mint variety (

Knowledge of sorption isotherms of agricultural products is necessary to control rehydration/dehydration and storage processes. The aim of this work is to determine moisture adsorption and desorption isotherms of Moroccan mint leaves and stems (Mentha viridis). The sorption isotherms of the plants was determined within the range of 0.0549–0.964 relative air humidity at three different temperatures (40, 50 and 60 ∘C) using saturated salt solutions method. Guggenheim, Anderson and Boer (GAB) model was used to describe the experimental data. The isosteric heats of desorption and adsorption were determined. Then, the isosteric heat of desorption was compared to the isosteric heat of adsorption and both decreased continuously with increasing the equilibrium moisture content. Finally, the comparison between the sorption net isosteric of mint leaves and stems was studied

Essential Oil Content, Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity and Antiviral Potential against Covid-19 of Four Aromatic and Medicinal Plants from south of Morocco

Lavender (Lavandula dentata (L. d.), Lavandula stoechas (L. s.)), mint (Mentha viridis (M. v.)) and Cistus villosus (C. v.) are plants widely used in traditional medicine due to their sedative, carminative, antibacterial and antioxidant properties. They are present in the south of Morocco in the wild except for mint, which is a cultivated plant. The essential oil content of the dried samples varied in a small range between 1.25 % ml/g to 2.6 % ml/g for lavenders and cistus, but for mint, it shows 5% ml/g. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry determines essential oils chemical composition. The results shown that the essential oil of the leaves of L. d. and L. s. are as a source of camphor. The C. v. essential oil consists of different compounds, mainly alloaromadendrene, β-selinene, α-copaene, (-) - α-bourbonene, g-muurolene and α-muurolene. While M. v. is revealed to be a D-carvone mint. Aromatic plants essential oils show high antioxidant activity: values of IC50DPPH between 0.72 mg / ml and 1.1 mg / ml.Results suggest that essential oils have biological activities, namely antioxidant and antiviral activities of at least the predominant compounds. Hence we are proposing the plants for scientific research as a natural antioxidant and a potential substances for beating COVID-19 virulence and transmission spread