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This study explores the potential of olive leaves, long integral to Mediterranean traditional medicine, as a rich source of valuable compounds. The challenge lies in their considerable water content, hindering these compounds' full valorization. Four drying methods (air-drying, oven-drying, freeze-drying and solar-drying) were investigated for their impact on nutrient and bioactive compound content in the leaves of four olive varieties ("Arbequina", "Koroneiki", "Menara" and "Picholine Marocaine") cultivated in Morocco. In their fresh state, "Picholine Marocaine" exhibited the highest protein levels (6.11%), "Arbequina" had the highest phenolic content (20.18 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight (FW)), and "Koroneiki" and "Menara" were highest in flavonoids (3.28 mg quercetin equivalents/g FW). Specific drying methods proved optimal for different varieties. Oven-drying at 60 °C and 70 °C effectively preserved protein, while phenolic content varied with drying conditions. Air-drying and freeze-drying demonstrated effectiveness for flavonoids. In addition, an analytical approach using high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was applied to investigate the effects of the different drying methods on the bioactive fraction of the analyzed samples. The results showed qualitative and quantitative differences depending on both the variety and the drying method used. A total of 11 phenolic compounds were tentatively identified, with oleuropein being the most abundant in all the samples analyzed. The freeze-dried samples showed the highest content of oleuropein in the varieties "Arbequina" and "Picholine Marocaine" compared to the other methods analyzed. In contrast, "Koroneiki" and "Menara" had higher oleuropein content when air dried. Overall, the obtained results highlight the importance of tailored drying techniques for the preservation of nutrients and bioactive compounds in olive leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Argania spinosa Skeels is an endemic forest essence of Morocco. The argan of the north-east of Morocco remains a virgin subject of study without enough value given to it. Objective: The aim of this study is to asses the evolution of biometric parameters and fatty acids composition of the argan fruits from Beni-Snassen region during ripening. Materials and Methods: 4 fruit shapes harvested over seven months were characterized through the measurement of their biometric parameters (size and weight), and their composition of majority fatty acids. Results: the studied argan tree could be classified into two major groups, namely: early-riped trees with oval or oval-apiculate fruits and late-riped trees with fusiform or spherical fruits. When considering the fruits size and weight, the highest values were recorded on late-ripened fruits, more particularly fusiform shapes. The obtained results showed, on one hand, a significant difference in the unsaturated fatty acids, according to the fruit ripeness stage and shapes, being the later significantly affecting the stearic acid content; and on another hand, it was noted an increase of oleic acid content while linoleic acid decreased. In the maturation stage, the spherical shaped fruits were found to have the highest ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids. Conclusion: The results demonstrated the possibility to predict the kernel's weight from the fruit's length. The results also showed the good dietary and nutritional quality of spherical shapes and that the biometric parameters are important criteria for the differentiation of argan tree fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was undertaken to justify and validate a very frequent traditional use of a very well-known and widely used plant by a large part of the Moroccan population. It's about Corrigiola telephiifolia, and the activity in question is the diuretic activity. Methods: The aqueous ethanol root extract of corrigiola telephiifolia (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 700 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats. The urinary excretion rate and pH, and electrolyte excretion were measured in the urine of saline-loaded rats. Negative control group received only an equivalent volume of distilled water, while the positive control groups received the diuretic drugs hydrochlorothiazide at dose 10 mg/kg. Results: The results showed that hydrochlorothiazide induced significant diuresis and electrolytes excretion at 1, 6 and 24 h after the treatment. Both the higher doses of the extract produced a significant increase in urine volume than the control from the first hour until the end of observation. However, the lowest dose increased significantly only at 24 h after the treatment. With regard to the electrolyte excretion, the tested doses of CTRE which have shown a significant increase in Na+, K+ and Clexcretion in comparison to normal control rats, are 400 and 700 mg/kg bw. Conclusion: These findings collectively indicate that the extracts of C. telephiifolia have a potential to induce diuresis markedly, and providing evidence, for its traditional use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive oil phenolic fraction considerably contributes to the sensory quality and nutritional value of this foodstuff. Herein, the phenolic fraction of 203 olive oil samples extracted from fruits of four autochthonous Moroccan cultivars ("Picholine Marocaine", "Dahbia", "Haouzia" and "Menara"), and nine Mediterranean varieties recently introduced in Morocco ("Arbequina", "Arbosana", "Cornicabra", "Frantoio", "Hojiblanca", "Koroneiki", "Manzanilla", "Picholine de Languedoc" and "Picual"), were explored over two consecutive crop seasons (2012/2013 and 2013/2014) by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 32 phenolic compounds (and quinic acid), belonging to five chemical classes (secoiridoids, simple phenols, flavonoids, lignans and phenolic acids) were identified and quantified. Phenolic profiling revealed that the determined phenolic compounds showed variety-dependent levels, being, at the same time, significantly affected by the crop season. Moreover, based on the obtained phenolic composition and chemometric linear discriminant analysis, statistical models were obtained allowing a very satisfactory classification and prediction of the varietal origin of the studied oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triacylglycerols composition of monovarietal Picholine Marocaine olive oils, produced in seven of the most productive areas in northern Morocco, has been established for the first time, starting a register of typicality and geographical identity of Moroccan olive oils. Two hundred seventy-nine olive samples were collected over two consecutive crop seasons (2011/2012 ( n = 140) and 2012/2013 ( n = 139)), the analysis of the triacylglycerol profiles of the obtained oils was performed using high performance liquid chromatography, the influence of the region of provenance was investigated, and chemometric data analysis (including principal components analysis, linear discriminant analysis, partial least squares-discriminant analysis, and soft independent modeling of class analogies) was used to differentiate the studied samples according to their geographical origin. Twenty-one triacylglycerols were characterized and the variability observed among the studied samples could be related to the production area. The combination of triacylglycerols composition with chemometrics provided a powerful tool to verify the geographical origin of north Moroccan olive oils. Practical applications: Moroccan legislations established Geographic Indication labels for adding value to typical products. However, the general procedure to control the geographical authenticity of these protected products remains based on the traceability of their production and there is a lack of appropriate and reliable tools for their geographical unambiguous authentication and control. In this work, geographical authentication models for classifying olive oil samples (based on triacylglycerols composition) have been developed and evaluated, achieving adequate classification and prediction rates for oils coming from the main north Moroccan olive growing areas. The results obtained herein, could represent a significant contribution to the control of the geographical authenticity of Moroccan olive oils. The triacylglycerols composition of monovarietal Picholine Marocaine olive oils, from seven of the most productive areas in northern Morocco, is established in this study, analyzing 279 olive samples (over two consecutive crop seasons) by high performance liquid chromatography and Chemometrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]