The phenol content of vegetable oil and its antioxidant activity are of primary interest for human health. Oilseed species are considered important sources of these compounds with medicinal effects on a large scale. Total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of safflower oil were previously studied. Nevertheless, there is no report on genotypic differences and antiaging activity of safflower oil. The aim of this study was to determine the TPC, diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and antiaging activity on three respective accessions from Syria, France, and Algeria of seed oil of safflower grown under semi-arid conditions during 3 consecutive years (2015, 2016, and 2017). The results showed that phenol content as well as antioxidant and antiaging activity varied according to both genotype and years. In 2017, the mean value of TPC in oil seed was two times higher than in 2015 and 2016. Moreover, accessions presented different TPC values depending on the year. The highest antioxidant activity was observed among accessions in 2017 compared to 2015 and 2016. As expected, a positive correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant activity. The inhibition in the collagenase assay was between 47% and 72.1% compared to the positive control (83.1%), while inhibition in the elastase assay of TPC ranged from 32.2% to 70.3%, with the positive control being 75.8%. These results highlight the interest of safflower oil as a source of phenols with valuable antioxidant and antiaging activity, and uses for cosmetics.

Pistacia atlantica, which belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, is an important species for rural people in arid and semi-arid areas. The fruit, rich in oil, is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The oil extracted from this species growing in a northern area of Algeria and its fatty acid composition were previously studied. However, the largest areas where this species is present (traditional cultivation) is located in southern Algeria. Moreover, studies on oil fatty acid composition and essential oil were always conducted separately. This study was performed in order to assess the fatty acid and volatile organic compound composition of P. atlantica vegetable oil. The seeds were collected randomly from Djelfa (300 km South of Algiers, Algeria). Oil content and fatty acid composition were determined by Soxhlet extraction. The seeds contained high concentrations of oil (32–67%). The major fatty acids were oleic (39–49%), linoleic (23.6–31%), and palmitic (21.3–26.6%) acids. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to saturated fatty acids (SFA) indicated that the content of unsaturated fatty acids was approximately three times higher than that of SFA. This ratio is widely used in epidemiological studies and research on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The ratios of -acids, i.e., -9/-6 and -6/-3, were 1.3–2 and 18.5–38.3, respectively. Crushed seeds were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. More than 40 compounds were identified, mainly monoterpenes (C10H16), such as α-terpinene and terpinolene, but also sesquiterpenes (C15H24) at lower levels. The value of this species as a source of healthy oil rich in -3 acid and its effects on cardiovascular disease risk are discussed.

Safflower seeds provide an oil rich in mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its adaptation to drought and high temperatures makes it an alternative for the development of oleaginous crops in semi-arid areas. This study examines the oil content and the chemical composition of seed oil from three safflower accessions (Gila, Halab, Touggourt) cultivated over three years (2015, 2016, and 2017) in a semi-arid area in Tiaret (West of Algeria). Under these semi-arid conditions, characterized by low rainfall and high temperatures, seed oil content remained relatively high and was composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, with their ratio to saturated fatty acids reaching an average value of 9. Seed oil content varies between 22.8% and 28.4% among the genotypes and throughout the three years. The extracted oil consists essentially of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and oleic acids, poly and monounsaturated, respectively. Their contents over the three years vary between 75% and 79.3% for linoleic acid and between 10.2% and 14.7% for oleic acid. The saturated fatty acids content of the oil reached a maximum value of 9%. They consist mainly of palmitic acid, of which the average genotypic content varies between 6.6% and 7.15% depending on all grown years. The results obtained may assist in better understanding the response of cultivars under rainfed conditions and could be helpful for breeders with regards to introduction into selection programs.

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that occur naturally in all plants. Seeds are among the richest organs of plants in phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. These compounds and their biological activities are of great importance for human health. This study aimed to analyze the phenolic composition and their antioxidant activity in the seeds and epicarps of six Algerian populations of Pistacia atlantica Desf. subsp. atlantica growing along an aridity gradient from semi-arid to Saharan environmental conditions. Higher phenolic contents were observed in epicarp compared to seeds whatever the ecotype. The highest phenolic content of seeds and epicarps was observed in ecotype of Djelfa and the lowest values in Tiaret (T-Z). Phenolic composition, measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), showed that quercetin in epicarp, gallic and chlorogenic acids in seeds were the most present in all ecotypes. Large differences were observed between ecotypes for nutritional values. Seeds were rich in flavonoids, proteins, carbohydrates and essential elements such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. These results highlighted the potential importance of Atlas pistachio fruits as a source of essential compounds that contribute to human health. Moreover, this underused species may serve a potential source for antioxidant components for alimentation and cosmetics purposes.

The Atlas pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf.), a rustic tree distributed in different bioclimatic areas, is rapidly declining, particularly in Algeria. Among the actions to be undertaken is the launch of a restocking program. Nevertheless, Atlas pistachio seed dormancy is an obstacle limiting its germination and obtaining seedlings. The aims of the present study are to define the nature of seed germination inhibitors and to propose pretreatments that would limit their effects. Seeds were collected from three locations in Algeria. Quantitative and qualitative traits of phenolic compounds and total antioxidant activity were determined at three levels, namely, seed, epicarp and kernel. Germination was investigated in seeds with epicarp, epicarp removed, and with or without H2O2 treatment. Results showed that whole seed germination is not effective. Scarification by removing epicarp did not improve the germination rate. Chemical analyses indicated that seeds, kernel and epicarp were rich in total phenolic compounds. These compounds are known to limit seed germination in several species. Application of hydrogen peroxide induced a significant increase in seed germination rate in the three ecotypes. H2O2 caused inhibition of polyphenol compounds effects on germination. The results indicated that the inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds can be found at the kernel level instead of the epicarp. However, studied genotypes indicated that only one ecotype was distinguished by seed dormancy that originated in the epicarp and kernel.

The Atlas Pistachio tree, Pistacia atlantica Desf., has great importance in the ecological landscape of North Africa, due to its adaptive plasticity, as well as its use as a rootstock in the cultivation of the economically important species, Pistacia vera L. The conservation and valuation of this species require sampling and an assessment of its genetic variability. For the first time in North Africa, the inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) molecular marker has been used in genetic-diversity assessment and in the population relationships of P. atlantica subsp. atlantica. The ISSR markers tested showed 74.1% polymorphism, while molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis revealed a high percentage of the total genetic diversity of 55.7% among the four populations studied. Cluster analysis with neighbor-joining (NJ) and principal coordinate analysis (PCO) divided the study sites into four distinct groups according to their geographical locations (Tiaret, Batna, Djelfa, and Bechar). Isolation by distance or Mantel test gave a positive correlation of r = 0.86 between geographical and genetic distances. The results in this study indicate an absence of gene flow, implying that conservation efforts should be taken separately for each population.

Diversity in Pistacia has been evaluated at all molecular levels using the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) marker in three species (Pistacia atlantica subsp. atlantica; Pistacia vera and Pistacia terebinthus), and compared with other Pistacia species. Results showed that the ITS amplification and sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analyses, identify the species and confirm their classification, which revealed that it can be used as a marker. Our results suggest that ITS1 analyses might provide a simple and inexpensive approach to validate the species of samples collected from the natural population, where species identification can be difficult, especially if hybrids are present or if the season is not optimal for identifying differences in morphological traits.

Yield improvement of durum wheat is considerably limited by the expression of environmental abiotic factors. Water deficits are one of these limiting factors. Plants develop various strategies to tolerate the effects of water deficit. Some of such mechanisms might occur in the root and stem systems. The present study aimed to investigate some anatomical traits contributing to the drought tolerance in the durum wheat. The anatomical variations of the meristem of roots and stems, as a response to water deficit, were evaluated. The results indicated that the enhancement of the intensity of water deficit was accompanied by profound structural changes in the piliferous zone of roots. Water deficit caused a significant decrease in the diameter of the newly formed adventitious roots, which can be explained by a reduction in the thickness of the cortical parenchyma, through the reduction of cell size. This action was usually a contrary effect in the principal adventitious roots. The study also showed that increasing the intensity of water deficit reduced the diameter of vessels in the primary xylem, thereby increasing the hydraulic resistance of roots and lowering the flow of sap.