Othmane Merah

Characterization of French Coriander Oil as Source of Petroselinic Acid

Coriander vegetable oil was extracted from fruits of French origin in a 23% yield. The oil was of good quality, with a low amount of free fatty acids (1.8%) and a concurrently high amount of triacylglycerols (98%). It is a rich source of petroselinic acid (C18:1n-12), an important renewable building block, making up 73% of all fatty acids, with also significant amounts of linoleic acid (14%), oleic acid (6%), and palmitic acid (3%). The oil was characterized by a high unsaponifiable fraction, comprising a substantial amount of phytosterols (6.70 g/kg). The main sterol markers were β-sitosterol (35% of total sterols), stigmasterol (24%), and Δ7-stigmastenol (18%). Squalene was detected at an amount of 0.2 g/kg. A considerable amount of tocols were identified (500 mg/kg) and consisted mainly of tocotrienols, with γ-tocotrienol as the major compound. The phospholipid content was low at 0.3%, of which the main phospholipid classes were phosphatidic acid (33%), phosphatidylcholine (25%), phosphatidylinositol (17%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (17%). About 50% of all phospholipids were non-hydratable. The β-carotene content was low at 10 mg/kg, while a significant amount of chlorophyll was detected at about 11 mg/kg. An iron content of 1.4 mg/kg was determined through element analysis of the vegetable oil. The influence of fruit origin on the vegetable oil composition was shown to be very important, particularly in terms of the phospholipids, sterols, and tocols composition.

New renewable and biodegradable fiberboards from a coriander press cake

New fiberboards were manufactured from a coriander cake through thermo-pressing, and the influence of thermo-pressing conditions (temperature, pressure and time) on the boards’ mechanical properties, their thickness swelling and their water absorption was evaluated. Because the protein glass transition systematically occurred during molding, this resulted in effective wetting of the fibers. Consequently, all boards were cohesive, with proteins and fibers acting as binder and reinforcing fillers, respectively. Flexural properties were influenced by all tested conditions, and the optimal board was molded at 200 °C temperature, 36.8 MPa pressure and 180 s time. Its flexural strength at break and its elastic modulus were 11.3 MPa and 2.6 GPa, respectively, with the highest surface hardness of the entire study. Simultaneously, thickness swelling and water absorption were low: 51% and 33%, respectively. This board would be applicable as pallet interlayer sheeting for the manufacture of containers or furniture or in the building trade.

Impact of Thermomechanical Fiber Pre-Treatment Using Twin-Screw Extrusion on the Production and Properties of Renewable Binderless Coriander Fiberboards

The aim of this study consisted of manufacturing renewable binderless fiberboards from coriander straw and a deoiled coriander press cake, thus at the same time ensuring the valorization of crop residues and process by-products. The press cake acted as a natural binder inside the boards owing to the thermoplastic behavior of its protein fraction during thermopressing. The influence of different fiber-refining methods was evaluated and it was shown that a twin-screw extrusion treatment effectively improved fiber morphology and resulted in fiberboards with enhanced performance as compared to a conventional grinding process. The best fiberboard was produced with extrusion-refined straw using a 0.4 liquid/solid (L/S) ratio and with 40% press cake addition. The water sensitivity of the boards was effectively reduced by 63% through the addition of an extrusion raw material premixing operation and thermal treatment of the panels at 200 °C, resulting in materials with good performance showing a flexural strength of 29 MPa and a thickness swelling of 24%. Produced without the use of any chemical adhesives, these fiberboards could thus present viable, sustainable alternatives for current commercial wood-based materials such as oriented strand board, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard, with high cost-effectiveness.

Essential oil composition of Myrrhis odorata (L.) Scop. leaves grown in Lithuania and France

The chemical composition of essential oils of sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata (L.) Scop.) leaves from two geographic areas (Lithuania and France) were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Comparatively slight differences were observed in the chemical composition of essential oils from both selected origins. The yield of essential oil varied from 0.4±0.02% in Lithuanian to 0.5±0.01% in French origin. In total twenty and twenty-six components were identified in the hydrodistilled oils of Lithuanian and French origin, respectively. The essential oils of both origins were found to be rich in E-anethole (48.1±1.4% and 50.7±1.1%), methyleugenol (14.3±0.5% and 13.1±0.4%), E-nerolidol (10.2±0.8% and 12.0±0.3%) and germacrene-D (5.0±0.1% and 4.3±0.3%).

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Satureja myrtifolia (Boiss. & Hohen.) from Lebanon

Abstract Satureja myrtifolia (Boiss. & Hohen.) Greuter & Burdeta medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family was collected from south of Lebanon and hydro-distilled by Clevenger method. Essential oil composition from aerial parts was analyzed by GC-MS technique. The odor of essential oil is characteristic, and clear yellow liquid oil was obtained after hydro-distillation. The yield of the essential oil was 1.25±0.02 % of dry matter (w/w). Thirty nine volatile components were identified in the Satureja myrtifolia oil, which shows a high amount of hydrocarbons class (57.82±0.1 %). Other classes were also identified such assesquiterpene hydrocarbons (12.96±0.1 %), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (10.65±0.2 %), phenolic compounds (10.32±0.1 %), acids (5.53±0.1 %), and monoterpenes hydrocarbons (2.21±0.1 %).In addition, a comparison with the unique study performed on Satureja myrtifolia was also carried out.

Protein Bread Fortification with Cumin and Caraway Seeds and By-Product Flour

Malnutrition continues to be a key health problem in developing regions. The valorization of food waste appears as an ideal way to prevent malnutrition and improve people’s access to food. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) and caraway (Carum carvi L.) oilseeds are commonly used for cuisine and medicinal purposes. However, remaining cakes after oil extraction are usually underutilized. In order to assess the usefulness of these by-products in food applications, this study investigated the effect of their addition to protein bread formulations. Different levels (2, 4 and 6%) of whole seeds and cakes flour were used in the study. Fortified protein bread samples were compared to control protein bread and evaluated for their sensory, color, moisture, hardness properties, nutritional values as well as their biological activity. Results indicated that bread fortification shows a significant effect on bread properties depending on fortification level. A higher acceptability was observed specially for bread fortified with by-products flour. Increased tendencies of color darkness, moisture content, bread hardness, nutritional values as well as total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity compared to control bread were observed as the percentage of fortification increased in both cases. The overall results showed that the addition of cumin and caraway seeds and by-product flour can improve the antioxidant potential and overall quality of protein bread.

Effect of Addition of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) on the Quality of Protein Bread

Abstract Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) is an aromatic plant belonging to Apiaceae family widely cultivated elsewhere for its strongly flavoured leaves and seeds. Fennel seeds are of particular interest as a rich source of both vegetable and essential oils with high amounts of valuable components. However, residual cakes after oil extraction were typically considered as byproducts, in the present framework, the potential added value of these cakes was studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of addition of fennel cake and seeds to protein bread quality. In the current research, a single-screw extruder, which is a solvent-free technique, was used for fennel seed oil extraction. For the protein bread making, fennel seed and cake flour in concentrations from 1 to 6% were used. Moisture, colour L*a*b*, hardness, total phenolic concentration, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and nutritional value of protein bread were determined. The addition of fennel cake and seeds had significant (p < 0.05) effect on bread crumb colour and hardness attribute, whereby the bread became darker and harder in texture than the control. Moreover, higher antioxidant activity and total phenolic concentration were observed for both protein breads enriched with fennel cake and seed flour. The overall results showed that addition of fennel cake and seed had beneficial effects on phenolic concentration, antioxidant activity and quality of protein bread. This result suggests also that added value of fennel seeds oil by-products could be increased by their utilisation in bread production.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oil of Achillea millefolium L. Grown in France

Background: This study aimed to examine the composition of essential oil (EO) of A. millefolium aerial parts wild plant grown in France and evaluate its antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Methods: GC-MS was used to identify the chemical composition of EO. Antioxidant activity (AA) of EO was evaluated by Oxipres method. Antimicrobial activity of EO was evaluated by Agar-well diffusion and a broth microdilution assay. Results: Forty-three volatile compounds were identified. Major compounds were camphor (12.8%), germacrene-D (12%), (E)-nerolidol (7.3%), sabinene (6.7%), (E)-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (4.5%), and 1,8-cineole (4%). EO shows strong AA against Sunflower oil oxidation. Additionally, an inhibitory effect against microbial organisms (bacteria and fungi) was found. Conclusion: The EO composition of A. millefolium chemotype located in France was studied. The EO of the A. millefolium wild plant grown in France is quite an effective antioxidant in sunflower oil oxidation; it also possesses inhibitory effects against famous bacteria and fungi.

Participation of green organs to grain filling in triticum turgidum var durum grown under mediterranean conditions

In wheat, flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns contribute to grain filling through photosynthesis and/or re-mobilization. Environmental and genetic effects on the relative contribution of each organ were examined by analyzing the consequences of sink-source manipulations (shading and excision) and by comparing carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) values in dry matter (at maturity) and sap (two weeks after anthesis) in six durum wheat genotypes grown in two contrasting seasons. The contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling, estimated by sink-source manipulations, highly varied with the season. The contribution of ear photosynthesis and re-mobilization from the stem increased with post-anthesis water stress. They showed a large genetic variation that was, however, not clearly associated to morphological characteristics of ear and stem. Isotopic imprints of chaff on grain Δ were identified as a possible surrogate of the destructive and cumbersome sink-source manipulations to evaluate the contribution of carbon assimilated in ears or re-mobilized from stem. This might facilitate screening of genetic resources and allow the combining of favourable drought tolerance mechanisms in wheat.

Evaluation of Nutritional and Technological Attributes of Whole Wheat Based Bread Fortified with Chia Flour

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of wheat bread fortification with varied levels (2%, 4%, and 6%) of chia seed powder (full fat) and cakes (defatted, residue after oil extraction). Chia flour was added to whole wheat bread rich in vital wheat gluten for the first time. The breadcrumbs were assessed for their antioxidant activity, nutritional content, textural properties, color, and sensory profiles. The addition of chia seed powder, particularly in high levels, was more effective in improving antioxidant activity compared to bread fortified with chia cakes. Bread supplementation with chia flour improves its nutritional value, especially in the case of chia cakes. A higher moisture content and lower hardness were observed after bread fortification, the influence was more evident with the defatted cake than with seed powder. Fortification with chia flour led to darker breads without significantly affecting their global acceptability. However, the fortified bread showed better values than control in terms of sensory profile. These results suggest that the addition of chia seed powder and defatted cake can enhance the overall whole wheat bread quality. Our results also highlight that bread making could be an unconventional alternative for the exploitation of defatted chia seed.