Chemical Characterization and Biological Activities Evaluation of Myrtus communis L. Essential Oil Extraction By-Product towards Circular Economy and Sustainability.

Essential oil (EO) extraction is a widespread practice generating huge amounts of solid plant by-products a potential source of bioactive compounds, on the one hand, and a detrimental risk for the environment that needs to be carefully considered on the other hand. The present study aims to valorize Myrtus communis L. leaf by-products obtained following EO extraction using a steam distillation unit through the recovery of phenolic compounds and the evaluation of their biological activities. The total phenols, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins contents of the ethanolic extract by-product were higher than the control (leaves without extraction of EO). Their amounts increased from 69.30 to 88.06 mg GAE/g for total phenols, from 36.31 to 70.97 mg QE for flavonoids and from 19.74 to 21.49 mg CE/g of extract for proanthocyanidins. The identification of phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid-chromatography equipped with a reversed-phase (RP-HPLC) system revealed that the by-product sample includes more gallic acid, catechin, syringic acid and luteolin 7-O-glucoside but less p-coumaric acid and kaempferol than the control. Moreover, the mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) showed the presence of benzene ring characteristic of phenolic compounds at 756 cm-1, esters of aromatic acids and stretching vibrations of polyphenols at 1141-1234 cm-1, C=C stretching present in phenolic acids such as coumaric acid and catechin at 1604 cm-1. The assessment of antioxidant activity revealed that the ABTS+• radical scavenging activity was significantly increased, whereas the DPPH• radical inhibition activity and the ferric reduction antioxidant power were significantly decreased. The results indicated, as well, that Myrtus communis L. leaf by-products maintained a considerable antibacterial activity depending on the tested bacterial strain. Additionally, the anti-α-amylase activity was higher for the Myrtus communis L. leaf by-product extract. Therefore, Myrtus communis L. leaf by-products of EO extraction offer phenolic compounds with significant biological activities, contributing to the sustainable development and the promotion of circular economy by the recovery of valuable inputs from plant by-products.

Comparative Study of Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality of Local Mediterranean Donkey Breeds.

This study aimed to evaluate carcass and meat quality traits in Masri (n = 14) and North African (n = 14) male donkeys, raised in a semi-intensive breeding system, grazing on mountainous areas, with supplementation of 1 kg of barley per day per animal, slaughtered at 5 (±0.48) years old. Compared to Masri, the North African population exhibited higher (p < 0.05) final body weights (181.7 ± 2.1 and 212.5 ± 7.6 kg) and cold carcass weights (101.7 ± 1.3 and 116.2 ± 4.5 kg), but lower (p < 0.05) cold dressing percentages (56.0 ± 0.4 and 54.6 ± 0.4%). Meat quality analyses showed higher (p < 0.05) cooking loss values in Masri meat (43.9 ± 0.8 vs. 39.9 ± 1.2%). Among the meat color parameters, the hue value was higher (p < 0.05) in North African samples (0.42 ± 0.01 vs. 0.39 ± 0.1). Meat from North African donkeys had higher (p < 0.05) dry matter, fat, and protein contents. Meat amino acid analysis revealed abundant levels of lysine, leucine, and methionine, in both populations. Donkey meat from both populations presented a high polyunsaturated fatty acids content, resulting in polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids and omega 6/omega 3 ratios for all breeds close to the recommended values for human health. Atherogenic and thrombogenic indices were also suggested to have positive effects on consumers' artery health. The characteristics of donkey meat present intriguing nutritional aspects compared to ruminant meat, and its production should be encouraged in the rural development of inner-Mediterranean areas.

Arbutus unedo fruit syrup as a fortifying agent: effect on physicochemical, microbiological, rheological, sensory and antioxidant properties of yoghurt.

This study aims to assess the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities of Arbutus unedo fruits and to valorize its syrup by the incorporation in bi-layer yoghurt. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol 80% fruits and syrup extracts was evaluated by three methods namely DPPH·, ABTS·+ and FRAP. The antibacterial activity was tested against seven pathogenic bacteria using agar well diffusion method. The yoghurt was prepared using 10 and 20% layers of A. unedo syrup, physicochemical, rheological, microbiological and sensorial characteristics and the antioxidant activity were investigated during cold storage. The results revealed that the heat treatment decreased the phenolic compounds contents and the antioxidant activity in the syrup extract. Both fruits and syrup extracts demonstrated an antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria. The highest inhibition diameter (40 mm) was recorded for Aeromonas hydrophila at 100 mg/mL of fruit echtanolic extract. The prepared bi-layer yoghurts showed stability for the physicochemical and microbiological properties during storage. The rheological properties revealed that the A. unedo syrup increases the yoghurt consistency (k). The antioxidant activity of the yoghurt indicated that fermentation improved the radical scavenging power of the A. unedo syrup at the beginning and the activity decreased slowly during storage. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05801-4.

Encapsulation of Tunisian thyme essential oil in O/W nanoemulsions: Application for meat preservation.

This study aims to optimize the preparation of thyme essential oil nanoemulsion using a ternary mixture design based on the following three components: chitosan, gum Arabic and median-chain triacyglycerols (MCT). The results showed that the formulation which contained 40% chitosan, 40% gum Arabicand 20% of MCT led to a stable nanoemulsion within 30 days of storage at 4 °C. Indeed, the observed mean diameter (d[4,3]) and the polydispersity index (PDI) are the lowest with a ζ-potential value greater than +30 mV. Moreover, the amount of thyme essential oil dissolved in MCT was optimized and the 2% (w/w) was selected to prepare O/W nanoemulsion for preserving meat products. Besides, the obtained data of the chemical characteristics of meat products demonstrated that the pH, TVNB, TBARS, shear strength increased slightly and insignificantly with storage time at 4 °C.However, there was a difference between control and sample treated with nanoemulsionsin terms of physicochemical characteristics.

Drying methodology effect on the phenolic content, antioxidant activity of Myrtus communis L. leaves ethanol extracts and soybean oil oxidative stability.

In this study, different drying methodologies (convective air, oven and microwave) of Myrtus communis L. (M. communis L.) leaves were conducted to investigate their effects on the levels of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity of ethanolic extracts (EEs) as well as the soybean oil oxidative stability. Drying methodology significantly influenced the extractability of phenolic compounds. Microwave drying led to an increase in the amounts of total phenols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins followed by oven drying at 70 °C. Higher temperature of drying (100 and 120 °C) led to a significant reduction of their amounts (p < 0.05). An ultra-performance liquid chromatography method combined with high resolution mass spectroscopic detection was used to analyze the phenolic fraction of extracts. Higher amounts of the identified compounds were observed when leaves were heat treated. Furthermore, the evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed that the studied extracts possess in general high antioxidant capacities, significantly dependent on the employed drying methodology. The incorporation of the different extracts at 200 ppm in soybean oil showed that its oxidative stability was significantly improved. Extracts from leaves treated with microwave (EE_MW) and at 70 °C (EE_70) have better effect than BHT. The results of the present study suggest that microwave drying could be useful to enhance the extractability of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity of M. communis L. leaf extract.