Peels and fresh pomegranate extracts were used in the present study for the determination of the physic-chemical properties and DPPH-ABTS scavenging activities. Total sugars of juice are fructose (ca. 7 g/100 ml) and glucose (ca. 8 g/100 ml). Contents of soluble proteins in juice extracts are about 7 g/l (Bradford assays) and 22% (Kjeldhal assays) from dry pulp. Minerals in peel and juice are respectively 9.43±0.93 and 9.46±1.05 mg/100 ml for posphorus and 210.86±10.70 and 271.94±60.59 mg/100 g for potassium. The sodium contents are nearly 7 mg/100 ml in both peel and juice. Highly antioxidant contents in peels were confirmed. Free radical scavenging is about 3.58±0.38 µg/ml in peel. The antioxidant capacity value determined by ABTS was 7.364±0.403 mM Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity/100 g dry weight. These findings implied that bio-active compounds from the peel might be potential resources for the development of antioxidant function dietary food.

In this study, the antioxidant composition of white (Morus alba L.), black (Morus nigra L.) and red (Morus rubra L.) mulberry leaves grown in the southern region of Tunisia is investigated. The highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents are observed in red mulberry leaves (994.3 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g of dry matter and 789.7 mg rutin equivalents/100 g of dry matter, respectively). M. nigra leaves have the highest total anthocyanins amount (7.3 mg/100 g of dry matter), however M. rubra has the lowest content (5.8 mg/100 g of dry matter). The total carotenoids content is between 31 and 97.9 mg/100 g of fresh matter. In fact, the diphenyl-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of methanol leaves extracts of the three mulberry species show varying degrees of efficacy in a dose—dependent manner. The best antioxidant effect is recorded in M. rubra extract (IC50 = 94.7 μg/ml).

A high frequency of sprouting (85.0%) and shoot differentiation is observed in the primary cultures of nodal explants of Malus domestica L. cultivar Douce de Djerba on MS medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg.L⁻¹) plus IBA (0.1 mg.L⁻¹). In vitro proliferated shoots are multiplied rapidly by culture of shoot tips on MS medium with BAP (1.0 and 2.0 mg.L⁻¹) which produce the greatest multiple shoot formation. The BAP has a positive effect on the multiplication and growth, but a concentration that exceeds 4.0 mg.L⁻¹ decreases the growth. A high frequency of rooting (66.7%) with development of healthy roots is observed from shoots cultured on half strength MS medium enriched with IBA (3.0 mg.L⁻¹) and 2.0 g.L⁻¹ of activated charcoal. Plants with well developed roots were transferred to soil with a survival frequency of 60%.

There is a great need to find cheaper but still efficient treatment methods for wastewater. This study aimed to test the purifying performance of three different Moringa oleifera varieties that were cultivated in Tunisia on raw (RUW) and secondary treated urban wastewater (TUW). The seeds of the Mornag, Egyptian, and Indian varieties were powdered, added to the water (at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg·L⁻¹), and stirred for 45 min at 120 rpm, and then left to settle for two hours. A physicochemical characterization of the wastewater was carried out before and after treatment. The investigated treatments decontaminated both types of urban wastewater. The best treatments were obtained with the Egyptian variety (at 150 mg·L⁻¹), which excelled at the reduction of EC, TSS, BOD₅, Cl, SO₄, Ca, Na, Cd, and Fe in RUW and BOD₅, EC, Na, Mg, Cl, and Cd in TUW. High amounts of TKN was found in both types of Moringa-treated wastewater, meaning that it could be used in agricultural irrigation, leading to less use of chemical nitrogen fertilizers and thus improving sustainability for crops, soils, animals, and humans. The Egyptian Moringa variety constitutes a cost-effective and environmentally friendly adsorbent that can be used as a replacement for more expensive treatment technologies.

In recent years, farmers in Beja, an agricultural governorate in northwestern Tunisia, have expressed their willingness to use urban sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, especially with the unavailability of chemical fertilizers and the soil type of the region that is poor in organic matter. However, there is an imbalance between the important farmers’ demand versus the limited quantity of sludge produced by the Beja wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the face of this, this study aims to identify the problems related to the agricultural reuse of sludge in Beja and propose solutions to solve them. The quality of the sludge produced by the five Beja WWTPs was assessed based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The data were collected using the Delphi method, with 15 experts representing different positions on the issue treated. The SWOT-AHP methodology was used to define the strategies promoting the sustainable use and management of urban sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural development in Beja. Results showed that there were no problems with compliance with the Tunisian standards NT 106.20 for the sludge produced. A set of twelve practical conclusions was identified, constituting the strategies of Strengths–Opportunities, Strengths–Threats, Weaknesses–Opportunities, and Weaknesses–Threats deduced from the SWOT-AHP.

The present study aimed to: (i) identify helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in wastewater samples to which both human and animals could be exposed when they are reused in agriculture, and (ii) evaluate the efficiency of their removal by two wastewater treatment systems (activated sludge and lagoon). For these purposes, 234 wastewater samples (117 raw, 117 treated) were collected from 20 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Tunisia over a one-year sampling period. Parasitic load was enumerated by the modified Bailenger method. The results showed that helminth eggs found were Nematodes mainly represented by Ascaris sp. (95%), Hookworm species (50%), and Enterobius vermicularis (45%). For Cestodes, species identified were Taeniid eggs (85%), Hymenolepis nana (70%), Hymenolepis diminuta (55%) and digestive Strongyles. Among protozoa, Giardia sp., Entamoeba histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii and Entamoeba coli cysts were found in 100% of raw wastewater samples. The overall removal efficiency of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in the treatment plants ranged from 56.5 to 100% and from 50.4 to 95.5%, respectively. The result from Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) shows that the close clustering of the parasitic mean removal levels indicates that there is little difference in wastewater treatment processes between the WWTPs examined.