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Biological control is one of the effective methods for managing plant diseases in food production and quality. In fact, there is a growing trend to find new bio-sources, such as marine algae and vegetal by-products. In this study, pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel (S1) and Spirulina platensis (S2) alone and in combinations, pomegranate peel/Spirulina: 25%/75% (S3) and 50%/50% (S4) were evaluated for antimycotoxigenic and antiphytopathogenic fungal properties. The chemical composition (moisture, dry matter, protein, lipid and ash) as well as total polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins content were evaluated in the four extracts. Using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods, the anti Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata activities were measured and their correlations with phytochemical content were evaluated. Interestingly, combinations between Spirulina at 75% and pomegranate peel at 25% (S3) have a significant impact (p < 0.05) on the antifungal activity compared to S1, S2 and S4. These findings underlie the effectiveness of biocontrols over standard fungicides and imply that existing methods can be further improved by synergistic effects while maintaining food safety in an eco-friendly manner.

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The effects of Nd substitutions on the structural and magnetic properties in Nd 2-x R x Fe 17 compounds (R= Sm, Gd; x = 0.0-2.0) have been investigated. Nd substitutions lead to a decrease of the lattice parameters in Nd 2-x R x Fe 17 compounds with increasing Sm and Gd content. For both series, we observe a decrease of the saturated magnetization and an increase of the Curie temperature T c with increasing x. The Nd substitution does not change the easy-plane anisotropy.

The effect of nitrogen insertion on the structural and magnetic properties of Nd 2-x Sm x Fe 17 metallic alloys has been investigated. X-ray powder diffraction characterizations show that all the nitrides are single phase and crystallize in the Th 2 Zn 17 -type structure. The lattice parameters of the Nd 2-x Sm x Fe 17 N y compounds decrease with samarium content. Magnetization studies show that all the samples are ferromagnetic at room temperature. Nitrogen insertion leads to an increase of the Curie temperature T c . T c is found to increase from 370 K for NdSmFe 17 to 760 K for NdSmFe 17 N 2.8 . It leads also to an increase of the saturation magnetization M s . to 45% for x = 2. X-ray diffraction characterizations on magnetically aligned powder samples of Nd 2-x Sm x Fe 17 N y reveal a change in the easy magnetization direction from planar for x = 0 to c axis for x = 2.