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• This study is the first to present the size and weight of kermes oak fruits. • This work is the first study that present the composition of Quercus coccifera acorn oil sterols. • Quercus ilex and Quercus coccifera seeds are a good source of K, P, Ca and Mg. • Quercus ilex and Quercus coccifera seeds are rich in oleic and linoleic acid. • The flours of the acorns of Q.I and Q.C present a very important water retention capacity. The crude fat (7.2%, 5.6%), crude protein (3.71%, 2.9%), dietary fiber (2.6%, 2.7%) and total ash (2.19%, 2.47%) contents were determined for Quercus Ilex (Q.I) and Quercus coccifera (Q.C), respectively. The main fatty acids in acorn oils of quercus were oleic (54.77%, 49.88%), linoleic (23.04%, 28.25%), and palmitic acid (18.23%, 17.57%) in Q.I and Q.C species, respectively. The sterol composition for acorn oil Q.C was determined for the first time in this work. The contents of essential amino acids, in acorns of Q.I and Q.C were determined and some of them were within the FAO reference values. Acorn seeds were also a good source of K, P, Ca and Mg. The ethanolic extracts of acorns Q.I and Q.C were rich in phenolic compounds. The starch extracted from the seeds of acorns had a ratio between the contents of amylose and amylopectin 31/69, 36/64 for Q.I and Q.C, respectively. The current results show the potential of these two studied species of acorn and their uses as food resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Moringa oleifera seeds are a rich source of oil. • Cold pressed moringa oleifera seeds is rich in oleic acid. • Seeds could be interesting as functional ingredient for industrial applications. • Seed oil is a renewable source of antioxidant compounds. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the chemical composition and the oil properties of the seeds of Moringa oleifera from a cultivated origin of Tunisia. Expressed on dry weight basis, the seeds exhibited a moisture content of 7.78 ± 0.62%, whereas contents of proteins, fiber, ash, fat, and total sugars were 33.39 ± 3.16%, 3.9 ± 0.32%, 3.1 ± 0.02%, 41.7 ± 3.71%, and 10.13 ± 2.32% respectively. Oleic acid was the main fatty acid (C18:1) (73.36 ± 0.22%). The determination of total phenolic content exhibited 102 ± 2.41 mg gallic acid equivalents per kg. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of four phenolic acids (gallic, caffeic, vanillic, ferrulic) with a predominance of ferulic acid coupled with two flavonoids (Apigenin and Naringenin). The seed oil was also found to contain high rates of tocopherols with a predominance of the α-tocopherol (51%). The sterol marker β-Sitosterol, accounted for 47.24% of the total sterol content. The different seed oil analyses proved that M. oleifera seed oil could potentially be utilised for different industrial, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiproliferative, antityrosinase, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities and phenolic, fatty acids and sterols profile of Schinus terebinthifolius growing in Tunisia were evaluated. The methanol extract of the fruits had the highest phenol content. The fatty oil contained 82.24% of unsaturated fatty acids. β-Sitosterol was the prominent sterol (74.816%). The fatty oil exhibited the highest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50 = 0.016 mg mL−1) and 2,2ʹ-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) (IC50 = 0.017 mg mL−1) radical scavenging activities. The methanol and acetone extracts from leaves were the most active against all bacterial strains, these extracts had the highest antityrosinase activity (% inhibition = 92.10–100.00). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive oil composition and connection between effective physicochemical factors characterizing accessions from different Tunisian farming sites viz. Chemlali Sfax, Chemalali Medenine, and Zalmati Medenine, located in the centre and the south of Tunisia, was probed in this study. The relationship between olive oil composition and physicochemical characteristics from different Tunisian cultivars, namely, Chemlali Sfax, Chemlali Medenine, and Zalmati Medenine, located in the centre and the south of Tunisia, was investigated using multivariate statistical analysis. Multiple linear regressions (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) methodologies were employed to expose hidden relationships between oxidative stability and olive oil components such as fatty acids, phenolic acids, and sterol contents. Obtained results showed not only that the selected components are dependent on geographical location and varietal origin of olive oils, but also that fatty acids (C16:1, C17:1, C18:0, C18:1, and C18:2), specific phenols (p-hydroxyphenylacetic, o-coumaric, and gallic acids), and sterols (campestanol, stigmasterol, and sitostanol) are directly implied in the oxidative stability variation. However, ANN analysis allowed to obtain more accurate models with higher robustness (R2> 98%). The combined analytical approaches, MLR and ANNs, could be considered as an adequate experimental model to restrain the influence of olive oil components in characterization of olive oil quality. Here, we have addressed the aim of using different analytical instruments in this field and the application of chemometrics for sterols, phenolic acids, and fatty acid analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acid, triacylglycerol, phospholipid, tocol and sterol compositions of E. maritimum seeds collected from plants grown in ten different Tunisian littoral locations were determined. Constitutes from different locations are significantly different. Seeds presented high oil content, ranging from ca. 22% to 34% on a dry weight basis, and were characterized by a constant fatty acid profile among the growing locations. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed an important level of unsaturated fatty acids (ca. 90% of total fatty acid content), with a prevalence of oleic (ca. 63%) and linoleic (ca. 25%) acids. Results obtained by GC-FID showed that the carbon number (CN) values of the TAGs in all samples were 50 (1.5%), 52 (25.6%) and 54 (73%). Phosphatidylcholine was the most common phospholipid, accounting for more than 60% of the total content, followed by phosphatidic acid (about 30%). Different tocols concentration was reported in seeds with β-tocotrienol as the most abundant one in all samples. Stigmasterol was the most abundant sterol in all seeds, representing nearly 70% of the total content, followed by β-sitosterol and Δ 7 -sitosterol. In all, the findings of this work highlight the valuable levels of minor constituents from Eryngium maritimum storage lipids which can be therefore a prospective source of useful natural bioactive molecules that may replace synthetic antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated the composition of the oil extract from achenes of “ Kholi ” variety of Ficus carica , grown in Tunisia. Fatty acid and sterol compositions were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to flame ionization detector (FID). Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity in fig achenes’ oil was assessed by employing two different in vitro assays such as DPPH , ABTS + radical scavenging capacities. Our results indicated that the fig achenes’ oil is a rich source of bioactive molecules. The soxhlet n-hexane extraction of these achenes produced a total oil yield of 16.24%. The predominant fatty acid was linolenic acid. Concerning phytosterols, the total amount reached 1061.45 mg/100 g with a predominance of Δ 5,23 -stigmastadienol (73.78%). Regarding antioxidant activities, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) was 215.86 μg/ml and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was 95.25 mM. These data indicate that fig achenes oil of F. carica could be potentially useful in food and pharmaceutical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive (Olea europaeaL.) includes cultivated olive trees (var.europaea) and wild olive trees or oleaster (var.sylvestris) as two botanical varieties. These olive varieties were widely spread in the Mediterranean Region. The aim of this study was to determine fatty acid compositions, sterols, polyphenols, and chlorophylls of oils obtained from 12 wild olive trees from Northern Tunisia. Two dominated oil cultivars in Tunisia (Chétoui and Chemlali) were also used to compare results. The fatty acid methyl ester and the sterol compositions were analyzed using gas-liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography methods, respectively. The polyphenols and chlorophylls were determined using the calorimetrical method. Results indicated that oils extracted from wild olives displayed good balanced fatty acid compositions, sterols, polyphenols, and chlorophylls. Qualitatively, for wild and cultivated olive oils, the oil has an identical composition, whereas the quantitative variation showed that some wild trees seem to be interesting oil sources as two Tunisian dominated cultivars. The highest oleic acid and polyphenol contents were 71.55% and 537.6 mg/kg of oil found in wild olives (OIch2, OIch1). The β-sitosterol was the major sterolic fraction and ranged from 84.72 to 75.70% according to the wild olives. Consequently, wild olives would be a new future edible olive oil source, as well as commonly cultivated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the present investigation is to discriminate five minor Tunisian olive cultivars (Hor Kesra, Sredki, Chladmi, Betsijina and Aloui) by studying their sterol and phenol compositions. This is the first study of the chemical composition of virgin olive oils (VOO) from these cultivars. The majority of analytical parameters presented statistically significant differences (P <0.01). The examined varieties produce excellent oils with a chemical composition within the regulatory limits and an appreciable amount of natural antioxidants. Our results showed that Betsijina oil was characterized by high mean values of total phenols (1400mgkg−1) and oxidative stability (113h). VOOs studied demonstrate that the differences in phenols (min: 253–max: 1400mgkg−1), tocopherol (139–402mgkg−1), sterols (1039–1567mgkg−1), triterpene dialcohols (19.1–32.4mgkg−1) and triacylglycerols profiles may be explained by genetic factors. Results of PCA and HCA analyses show a good discrimination between varieties according to phenol, triacylglycerol and sterol data. These components seem to be an effective tool to discriminate between the varieties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aims to evaluate some Tunisian olive genetic resources using fatty acid, triacyglycerol and sterolic compositions and to classify the cultivars according to their fruit genotype and to their respective geographical origin (North, Centre and South). manova results showed that the studied cultivars presented highly significant differences regarding all the variables ( P < 0.01). The most discriminant variables of fatty acids are C17:1 ( F = 98.468), C16:0 ( F = 92.994), C18:1 ( F = 60.865), C18:1/C18:2 ( F = 44.632) and C18:2 ( F = 40.167); those of triacylglycerols are POP ( F = 123.34), LLL ( F = 122.944), LnLO ( F = 98.363), POO ( F = 93.357) and LOO ( F = 90.42), while sitostanol ( F = 289.171), campestanol ( F = 192.792) and campesterol ( F = 160.724) have the higher discriminant power among sterol compounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the data of each chemical parameter to explore their usefulness for the discrimination of eleven monovarietal olive oils. Best differentiations among cultivars were obtained with triacyglycerol and sterolic compositions. The spatial distribution of the different oil samples using all the collected data showed a good discrimination among olive cultivars. A strong resolution between the samples according to the geographical origin was obtained by means of factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) (λ = 0.002). Comparisons of the distances between classes were statistically significant (Fisher tests; P < 0.0001), and 90.91% of cross-validated grouped cases are correctly classified. The obtained results could become an important tool for sorting out oils to a single cultivar or to a specific geographical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum L.) seeds were harvested from the region of Korba (North-East Tunisia) in order to characterize their fatty acids, phytosterols, tocopherols and tocotrienols (tocols) profiles. Nine fatty acids, with petroselinic acid accounting for 76.6% of the total fatty acids, followed by linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, accounting for 13.0, 5.4 and 3.4%, respectively, of the total fatty acids were identified. Neutral lipids (NLs) were mainly composed of triacylglycerols (98.4%). Polar lipids were mainly composed of phosphatidylcholine as the major phospholipid (PL) subclass, whereas digalactosyldiacylglycerol was the major galactolipid (GL). Total sterols content was estimated to be 36.93 mg/g oil. Stigmasterol accounted for 29.5% of the total sterols. Other representative sterols were β-sitosterol, Δ7-stigmasterol and Δ5, 24-stigmastadienol, which accounted for 24.8, 16.3 and 9.2%, respectively. Gamma-tocotrienol was the predominant tocol at 238.40 μg/g seed oil. This was equivalent to 72.8% of the total tocols followed by γ-tocopherol (8.06%) and α-tocopherol (7.6%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sterols, tocols and squalene were surveyed in endemic-wild and farmed Borago species. • B. pygmaea and B. morisiana contain high amounts of tocopherols. • Δ5-avenasterol, campesterol, and β-sitosterol occurs in all Borago species. • Within Borago genus, B. morisiana and B. officinalis are the best squalene producers. • All endemic Borago species yield nutritionally advantageous functional oil. Endemic Borago species contain notably high amounts of γ-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3 n 6), the main bioactive fatty acid of borage oil. However, little is known about the occurrence of nutritionally relevant phytochemicals in seed oil of such plants. This work was designed to test the occurrence of important phytochemicals (tocopherols, sterols and squalene) in the seed oil of Borago species. To this end, seeds of endemic-wild and farmed Borago species were collected and analyzed. All compounds were analyzed by HPLC-diode array detector, while sterol and squalene peaks were confirmed using a LC–MS device and a library software. The highest amounts of tocopherols were found in two endemic Borago species: B. pygmaea and B. morisiana , with 514 and 296 mg/100 g oil, respectively. Squalene was predominant in B. officinalis collected in Tunisia and B. morisiana (3.9 mg/100 g seeds). The main sterols were Δ5-avenasterol, campesterol, and β-sitosterol, which were especially high in B. morisiana and B. pygmaea , with 107 and 102 mg of total sterols by100 g of seeds, respectively. The latter species are noteworthy GLA producers. The study suggested that oils from the endemic species are more nutritionally advantageous than those from the common cultivated borage (B. officinalis) and other current sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nitrite salts are still common additives in the meat industry. The present study provides a first approach on the employment of the lyophilized aqueous extract (WE) of the Tunisian seaweed Cystoseira barbata for the quality enhancement of turkey meat sausage. Methods WE was supplemented as a natural antioxidant agent to investigate its effectiveness in delaying lipid oxidation turkey meat sausages containing reduced amounts of sodium nitrites. Results On storage day 5, all concentrations of WE (0.01–0.4 %) reduced the meat lipid oxidation by approximately 36 %, as compared to the negative control containing only 80 mg/kg of meat of sodium nitrites as antioxidant. It was noted that within 15 days of refrigerated storage, a meat system containing 80 mg/kg of meat of sodium nitrites and 0.02 % and 0.04 % of WE had similar Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) levels (19±1.32 and 17±1.12 µmol/kg of meat, respectively), which were comparable to the positive control containing sodium nitrites (150 mg/kg of meat) and 0.045 % vitamin C (18.46±1.27 µmol/kg of meat). In-depth, the metabolomic profiling using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography–quadripole–time–of–flight–mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) analyses of the Tunisian seaweed C. barbata solvent extracts showed that the main active compounds were phenolic compounds, fatty acids and sterols. Conclusions Overall, the cold medium containing C. barbata lyophilized aqueous extrac, with strong antioxidant activity and antihypertensive properties, may open the way to the development of a natural quality enhancement strategy for new functional and ever healthier reduced nitrites meat sausages based on algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]