Ethnobotanical survey of three members of family Lamiaceae among the inhabitants of Bejaia, Northern Algeria.

Background This paper presents the uses of Calamintha nepeta, Teucrium flavum and Thymus numidicus in food and in traditional herbal medicines in six districts from Bejaia state, Northern Algeria. Materials A semi-structured interview was conducted to 52 informants, including questions on the demographic data of the informants and uses of the three medicinal plants to determine the alimentary and the medicinal uses of these plants in Bejaia state. Results The demographic data of the informants indicate that rural participants are the principal consumers of medicinal plants. Data regarding experience of medicinal plants preparation show that 36.5% was confined to the experienced informants, while 63.5% of the informants were inexperienced. Women used medicinal plants more frequently than men; it is recorded that there were 42.3% male informants and 57.7% female informants. Studied plants were used for curing a total of 10 diseases. Also, C. nepeta and T. numidicus were applied as condiment in food, but T. flavum was found to have no food uses in all districts. Conclusion Bejaia district is rich in biodiversity of food and medicinal plants and there is need for further studies to validate their use as potential drugs.

Extraction of carotenoids from cantaloupe waste and determination of its mineral composition.

The carotenoid and mineral levels as well as the in vitro antioxidant capacity, using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, of waste from cantaloupe was assessed. Then the matrix was subjected to ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the optimization of the extraction of carotenoids. The effect of the extraction procedure on the microstructure of the powder was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The major carotenoids identified were lutein (63.24 ±â€¯0.73 µg ßCE/g dw) and ß-carotene (56.43 ±â€¯0.11 µg ßCE/g dw). Several mineral elements (K, Na, P, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn) were identified, potassium being the major one.The extract exhibited in vitro antioxidant activity (IC50 = 7.33 ±â€¯0.22 µg/mL). The RSM results showed that an amplitude of 100%, extraction time of 10 min, hexane percentage of 80% in hexane/acetone solvent, and solvent-to-solid ratio of 55 mL/g were the optimal conditions for the extraction of carotenoids. Under these conditions, the carotenoid content of the extract was 124.61 ±â€¯3.82 µg/g.The microscopic analysis revealed the effectiveness of the ultrasound treatment that results in noticeable physical changes, like microscopic perforations and breakages.