Fouad Menaceur

Chicken feet, an abundant and low-cost poultry by-product rich in collagen, were used to extract gelatin, which was then formulated into active biodegradable films containing food-grade clove essential oil (CEO), glycerol, sorbitol, and Tween 20. Gelatin extraction involved 0.5 M NaOH pretreatment followed by 5% acetic acid extraction at 66 °C, yielding 11.22% gelatin. Eight gelatin–CEO films were prepared by varying the CEO concentration and plasticizer composition. The supplier-declared CEO composition was eugenol-dominant, and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Kluyvera sp., and Enterobacter cloacae was assessed by agar disk diffusion, MIC, and MBC assays, each performed in triplicate. CEO inhibition zones of 22, 14, and 19 mm were recorded against E. coli, Kluyvera sp., and E. cloacae, respectively; the blank 6 mm control disks without oil produced no inhibition halo beyond the disk edge. MIC/MBC values were 5/6, 3/4, and 4/5 mg/mL for the same three strains. All films were continuous, smooth, and peelable; sorbitol-containing formulations were clearer and more flexible than sorbitol-free variants. Water solubility ranged from 37.67% to 48.78%, opacity from 5.26 × 10⁻³ to 9.20 × 10⁻³ A500 mm⁻¹, and thickness from 11.75 to 23.75 µm. Water vapor transfer was undetectable under the gravimetric screening protocol for all formulations. All films showed complete visual disappearance in soil within 6–10 days. In the cherry tomato trial, the best-performing coatings extended acceptable storage from about 5 days (uncoated control) to 10 days at 17–20 °C.

During recent years the defensive role of diferuloylmethane against oxidative stress and apoptosis has been experimentally documented. Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs can cause cellular death by inducing oxidative stress. Present study aimed to investigate whether diferuloylmethane could protect rats mitochondria against Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs intoxication. Twenty adult male rats were randomly chosen and divided into four groups: control; treated with 10 mg/kg/d of Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs; treated with diferuloylmethane at the dose 20 ml/kg/d; treated with Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs (10 mg/kg/d) and diferuloylmethane (20 ml/kg/d) respectively for 28 days. The results showed that Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs increased the Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lipid peroxidation, mit-GSH (Glutathione), mit-CAT (Catalase), mit-GST (Glutathione S-transferase) and decreased mit-GPx (Glutathione peroxidase), with increased in mitochondrial swelling and permeability followed by the increasing level of plasmatic Cyt-c. The addition of diferuloylmethane (DFM) to these samples reduces or corrects the amount of the most of biomarkers. These findings have demonstrated that DFM can act as an antioxidant and antiapoptotic factor against damages induced by Fe ₃ O ₄ -NPs.

The essential oils (EOs) of Ammodaucus leucotrichus fruits collected from four regions in Algerian Sahara were investigated for their chemical components, oil yield diversity and antibacterial property. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activity and the acute toxicity of these oils are herein reported for the first time. The hydrodistillated oils yielded (2.82-3.87 %) (w/w). GC and GC-MS analyses allowed us to identify twenty components representing (95.6-99.4 %). The main components were perillaldehyde (63.6-87.7 %), limonene (7.3-19.4 %) and α-pinene (1.2-7.9 %). The determination of the acute toxicity effect in mice showed the slight toxic nature of the EOs (LD₅₀: 520-570 mg/kg). The oils exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effect; the inhibitions at a dose of 100 mg/kg were (18.7-24.5 %). Based on the determination of inhibition diameters, a high antibacterial activity against yeasts and gram-positive bacteria strains and a moderate activity against gram-negative bacteria strains were observed. These results indicated that A. leucotrichus EOs have promising anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and might be used as natural drug against inflammatory diseases or as bioactive pharmaceutical molecules.

The present work investigates the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of essential oils from leaves of Rosmarinus tounefortii De Noé and Lavandula stoechas L. grown in Algeria and to assess their bioactivity on Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). The essential oils of these plants were obtained by hydrodistillation (yield=1.6 and 0.16 ml/100 g of fresh weight for R. tounefortii and L. stoechas, respectively). GC and GC-MS revealed fenchone (24.7%), camphor (6.9%) and bornyl acetate (6.3%) as major compounds of L. stoechas essential oil, while the rosemary oil was dominated by camphor (39.4%), α-pinene (10.4%) and p-cymene + limonene (11%). Antioxidant activity was assessed in vitro using two different tests: Reducing power and scavenging activity of the free radical DPPH. For both tests, results revealed that studied essential oils exhibited lower antioxidant activity compared to the synthetic antioxidant butylated hydrxytoluene (BHT). The evaluation of the insecticidal activity showed that they had a strong toxic effect on Callosobruchus maculatus F. by fumigation tests with a significant reduction of the female’s fecundity and the hatchability of laid eggs.

Essential oils of Algerian Juniperus phoenicea L. obtained from leaves and berries by hydrodistillation (HD) and from berries by Solvent Free Microwave Assisted Extraction (SFMAE) were investigated using both capillary GC and GC-MS techniques. The monoterpene hydrocarbons constituted the most prominent group of constituents (43.2-86.5 %) in the three essential oils with α-pinene (34.4-80.8 %) as the main compound. Leaves ethanol extract was analyzed in terms of the dosage in total phenolic and flavonoids contents. Gallic acid equivalent representing total phenolic constituents of the extract was 308 mg GAE/g; and quercetin equivalent representing total flavonoids was 20 mg QE/g. The antioxidant potential of the samples was evaluated using two separate methods, inhibition of free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power. All essential oils showed a relatively weak antioxidant capacity. No improvement of the antioxidant activity by SFMAE technique has been detected. J. phoenicea ethanol extract was found to be remarkably effective toward DPPH inhibition, compared to chemical antioxidant BHT (IC = 9.8±0.1 and 28±0.7 mg/l, respectively); for reducing power test it has also exhibited high activity in comparison with all studied essential oils and the chemical standard (BHT).