Effect of seed's geographical origin on cactus oil physico-chemical characteristics, oxidative stability, and antioxidant activity.

The aim of this study was the valorisation of cactus (or prickly pear, Opuntia ficus-indica) seeds growing in six different regions of Morocco. Moisture, proteins, lipids profile, total polyphenols content, oxidative stability, and antioxidant activity were investigated. The Folin-Ciocalteu test highlighted the abundant presence of phenolic compounds (165 to 225 mg EAG/100 g of extract) and a significant antioxidant capacity against DPPH free radicals. The seeds contained protein (7-9.25%) and lipids (2.7-5%). Cactus oil quality indices such as acidity and peroxide value were below 1.2% and 10 mEq.O2/kg, respectively. GC analysis revealed that linoleic and oleic acid percentages ranged from 57.1 to 63.8%, and 13.5 to 18.7%, respectively. Cactus seed oil was rich in tocopherols (500-680 mg/kg) and phytosterols (8000-11,100 mg/kg) with a predominance of γ-tocopherols and ß-sitosterol. Triacylglycerols, fatty acids and sterols composition showed small variation depending on the geographical origin, while the individual tocopherol profile was significantly influenced.

Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity, Anti-Inflammatory Potential, and Acute Toxicity Study of Thymus leptobotrys Murb. Extracts.

Thymus leptobotrys is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family, endemic in Morocco, and used in traditional medicine. The present work aims to study the phenolic compounds, the antioxidant activity, the anti-inflammatory effect, and the toxicity of two ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Thymus leptobotrys aerial part. The yield of the methanolic extraction (22.2%) is higher than that of the ethanolic extraction (15.8%) and is characterized by higher contents of polyphenols 243.08 mg/g GAE (mg/g of gallic acid), flavonoids 179.28 mg/g RE (mg/g of rutin), and tannins 39.31 mg/g CE (mg/g of catechin). The in vitro measurement of antioxidant activity with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical reduction test and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) test demonstrates the higher performance of the methanolic extract. The evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect in vivo on adult Wistar female rats leads to a very significant decrease in the inflammation of the edema compared to the standard drug (indomethacin) and the control group. The toxicity test reveals that both extracts showed no toxicity within an LD50 above 2000 mg/kg body weight of the rats.

Profile of Volatile Aroma-Active Compounds of Cactus Seed Oil (Opuntia ficus-indica) from Different Locations in Morocco and Their Fate during Seed Roasting.

Volatile compounds from oils extracted from cactus seeds (Opuntia ficus-indica) of five regions of Morocco were analyzed by dynamic headspace-GC/MS. Aroma active compounds were characterized by olfactometry. A total of 18 compounds was detected with hexanal, 2-methyl propanal, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, acetoin and 2,3-butanedione as most abundant. Olfactometric analysis showed that those compounds are aroma active; therefore, cactus seed oil flavor can be attributed to those compounds. Moreover, the effect of roasting of cactus seeds on the composition of volatile compounds in the oil was investigated. Especially the concentration of compounds known as products from the Maillard reaction increased significantly with roasting time such as furfural, furan, 3-methyl furan, 2-butanone, thiophene, 2, 3- dithiabutane, methyl pyrazine, 2-methyl pyrimidine, 2-metoxy phenol, dimethyl trisulfide and 5-methyl furfural.