During the last decade there has been growing interest in the formulation of new cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical products containing natural compounds with antioxidant activity and other beneficial properties. Aromatic and medicinal plants have always been the major source of bioactive compounds, especially, wild thyme (Thymbra capitata L.), which has been used since ancient times for its valuable health benefits that could be attributed to the richness of polyphenolic compounds. This study was undertaken with the following aims: to estimate the total polyphenolic content (TPC); to evaluate the antioxidant activity; to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds of post-distilled residues of Tunisian thyme, and their contribution to the antioxidant activity. The TPC, as determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method, was found to reach the values of 126.7 and 107.84 mg gallic acid equivalent/g plant dry weight (mg GAE/g PDW). The antioxidant activity, which is assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays, reached the values of 42.97–45.64 μg/mL and 42.22–50.21 mMFe2+/mg PDW, respectively. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of fourteen polyphenolic compounds, of which diosmin and rosmarinic acid were found to be the most abundant (24.26 to 33.80 and 22.0.1 to 26.29 mg/g PDW, respectively). An important correlation was found between the antioxidant activity and several identified phenolic compounds (p < 0.05). The findings revealed that thyme post-distilled residues have an effective natural antioxidant potential due to their high concentration of bioactive molecules, and they appear to be useful in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries, with beneficial effects on human health. Therefore, supplementing a balanced diet with herbs may have beneficial health effects.
In Tunisia, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., occupying many hundreds of thousand hectares, constitutes a future plant as a fruit tree, mainly due to its edible fruit and vegetal mass used as food. The continuously increasing demand for young plants for the extension of its cultivation requires the research of rapid, efficiency and economic methods ensuring conformity multiplication. With aim to a large production of plant material, a rapid in situ propagation method of the prickly pear cactus was developed. Varied portions of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes harvested in spring or in autumn, planted horizontally or vertically were used in order to optimize rhizogenesis and secondary cladode initiation rates. Half, quarter and the tenth of cladode cuttings harvested and planted in spring vertically and in normal polarity show very interesting results concerning rhizogenesis and caulogenesis. Those portions of cladodes demonstrated the best results, vertically planted in normal polarity and 100% of rooting was observed on right ones. The number of roots was the highest on basal right tenth cuttings (80). Contrariwise, the percentage of secondary cladodes initiated was the highest on apical right cuttings (70 and 74%) and the longest roots were initiated on the two basal tenth cuttings, left and right ones (13 and 14 cm). This fragmentation represents a substantially gain of material and time especially for large cultivated surfaces of Opuntia ficus-indica. Reducing the cladode cutting size, do not reduce its rhizogenesis and caulogenesis potentialities.
The most common means of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. propagation is through the use of asexually methods without genetic recombination which has been extensively studied for commercial purpose or to reduce erosion and desertification. However, seeds are important units to be considered for maintaining the species genetic variability. With the aim to undrestand the morphogenetic polymorphism deployment of the Tunisian spinescent Opuntia ficus-indica from the juvenile to the advanced stages, we search, firstly, the optimal conditions permetting to ensure the highest germination rate during the shortest period with sulphuric acid scarification in ten levels time of dipping. The best germinated rate (68.0%) is reached within 30 min of treatment exposure. Some germinated seeds showed polyembryony phenomenon. The highest rate (29.3%) was recorded after 25 and 30 min of pretreatment. Occurrence of morphogenetic abnormalities: tricotyledony, dissymmetried, coiled and adhered cotyledons in percentages varying from 12.8 to 20.0% was also reported. Secondly, a morphogenetic tracking of Opuntia ficus-indica young seedlings to adult plants during seven years (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) from the germination of seeds to the production of seeds was performed. This essay allowed us to report major seedling characteristics, their growth and phenotypic polymorphism: vertical succession of varying numbers of basal cladodes, future plant trunk formation, development and arrangement of secondary cladodes in the space, spinescence polymorphism and the first flowering and fruiting.
The present work describes an efficient micropropagation and callus induction protocol of Limbarda crithmoïdes L. (Asteraceae), a halophyte species with medicinal and horticultural interests. The objective was to identify the culture media that support the best organogenesis and callogenic expressions of four types of aerial explants; nodal and internodal segments and leaf portions, by varying the mineral composition of twenty culture media by adding increasing concentrations of Na+ (from 0-100 mM) and K+ (from 0-50 mM). After two months of culture, parameters relating to the various expressions of organogenesis and callogenesis were measured. Results showed that the K+ and Na+ interactions affect the explants development. The combination of high concentrations of Na+ (50, 100 mM) and K+ (50 mM) ions allowed the most important regeneration of the axillary shoots (70.6-100%), root neoformation (82.6-96.1%) and callus induction (76.3-100%). Rooted plantlets with well-developed axillary shoots have been successfully acclimatized with a 93% of survival rate. The selected media would allow a large-scale multiplication of this medicinal species, without adding exogenous phytohormones, and could be used for the micropropagation of other threatened halophyte species or for the production of callus; rich in secondary metabolites.
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