Extraction and Separation of Volatile and Fixed Oils from Berries of Laurus nobilis L. by Supercritical CO2

Isolation of volatile and fixed oils from dried berries of Laurus nobilis L. from Tunisia have been obtained by supercritical fractioned extraction with carbon dioxide. Extraction experiments were carried out at a temperature of 40 °C and pressures of 90 and 250 bar. The extraction step performed at 90 bar produced a volatile fraction mainly composed of (E)-β-ocimene (20.9%), 1,8-cineole (8.8%), α-pinene (8.0%), β-longipinene (7.1%), linalool acetate (4.5%), cadinene (4.7%), β-pinene (4.2%), α-terpinyl acetate (3.8%) and α-bulnesene (3.5%). The oil yield in this step of the process was 0.9 % by weight charged. The last extraction step at 250 bar produced an odorless liquid fraction, in which a very small percentage of fragrance compounds was found, whereas triacylglycerols were dominant. The yield of this step was 15.0 % by weight. The most represented fatty acids of the whole berry fixed oil were 12:0 (27.6%), 18:1 n-9 (27.1%), 18:2 n-6 (21.4%), and 16:0 (17,1%), with the 18:1 n-9 and 18:2 n-6 unsaturated fatty acids in particular averaging 329 μg/mg of oil

Article Extraction and Separation of Volatile and Fixed Oils from Berries of Laurus nobilis L. by Supercritical CO2

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Chemical composition and biological activity of volatile extracts from leaves and fruits of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi from Tunisia

Volatile oils composition from leaves and ripe fruits of pink pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) growing in Tunisia were investigated using GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. Volatile oil extraction was achieved by hydrodistillation (HD) using a Clevenger apparatus and by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using carbon dioxide. All plant organs, gave SFE extracts chiefly composed by α-pinene, α-phellandrene, β-phellandrene, germacrene D and bicyclogermacrene. In the case of the fruits, both extraction techniques gave volatile oils of similar composition; whereas the comparison between the HD and SFE leave oils revealed important differences in the content of α-pinene (6.1 % vs traces), α-phellandrene (22.7 % vs 0.8 %) and β-phellandrene (14.6 % vs 1.2 %). All volatile samples were evaluated against yeasts and dermatophyte strains, being more active against Cryptococcus neoformans, particularly the volatile oil from the fruits, with MIC values of (0.32-0.64) mg/mL. Moreover, this oil revealed an inhibitory effect on germ tube formation in C. albicans at sub-inhibitory concentration. At the concentration of MIC/8 the inhibition of filamentation was more than 70 %

Phytochemical composition and the cholinesterase and xanthine oxidase inhibitory properties of seed extracts from the Washingtonia filifera palm fruit.

The chemical composition and biological properties of palm Washingtonia filifera (Lindl.) H. Wendl. seeds are seldom studied. Bearing this in mind, the seeds of W. filifera fruits were analysed for their fatty acid and phenolic composition and their antioxidant activity in addition to their cholinesterase and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. Seed extracts were revealed as a good source of phenolics with significant antioxidant activity. The phenolic profile mainly consisted of proanthocyanidins or procyanidin dimers B1–B4 among the major compounds. The highest butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity was found in the ethanolic extracts of seeds, with IC50 values of 13.73 ± 1.31 μg mL−1. Seed alcoholic extracts also displayed interesting xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, with IC50 values ranging between 75.2 ± 17.0 μg mL−1 and 95.8 ± 5.9 μg mL−1. Procyanidin B1, a major component in the extracts, could be an important contributor to that activity, as it was found to possess good xanthine oxidase inhibition capacity (IC50 value of 53.51 ± 6.03 μg mL−1). Docking studies were also performed to predict the binding sites of procyanidins B1 and B2 within the xanthine oxidase structure. In all, W. filifera seeds appear as a promising natural source for the extraction of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and butyrylcholinesterase as well as xanthine oxidase inhibitory potential

Chemical characterisation and biological activity of leaf essential oils obtained from <i>Pistacia terebinthus</i> growing wild in Tunisia and Sardinia Island

<p>In the present work the chemical compositions, measured by GC and GC-MS, of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from leaves of <i>Pistacia terebinthus</i> collected in Bizerte (Tunisia) and Baunei (Italy) are reported. Both essential oils possessed high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (86.3% and 90.9%, respectively), being α-pinene (62.4 <i>vs</i><i>.</i> 35.0)%, camphene (3.0 <i>vs</i><i>.</i> 2.4)%, β-pinene (12.1 <i>vs</i><i>.</i> 4.5)%, terpinolene (1.7 <i>vs</i><i>.</i> 35.2)% and β-phellandrene (3.8 <i>vs</i><i>.</i> 4.5)% the main components. The Tunisian essential oil exhibited higher antifungal activity than the Italian one. <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i> and the majority of dermatophyte strains showed more sensitivity to the Tunisian oil, when compared to <i>Candida</i> strains, in particular <i>Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis</i> and <i>Epidermophyton floccosum</i>, with MIC and MLC values in the range (0.16–0.32) μL/mL. The results obtained support the use of the oil from Tunisia for the treatment of dermatophytosis.</p