The concentrations of 19 chemical elements have been determined in 36 honey samples of different botanical (wildflower, eucalyptus, eucalyptus red flowers, prickly pears, lemon blossom, thyme, almond, rosemary and jujube) honeys from the three geographical areas of Tunisia (Sidi Bouzid, Nabeul and Sfax) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The aim of this work was to use the multielement analysis together with chemometric tools to verify the botanical and the geographical origin of honeys. The correlation on the basis of mineral element content between the honey samples and their botanical and/or geographical origins was in some measure achieved. The data collected on the samples were also used to evaluate the nutritional quality and the potential health risks associated with elements via consumption of the Tunisian honey. According to the results obtained, the intake of essential elements was small, and the potential health risks associated with toxic or potentially toxic elements via consumption of this food were overall insignificant.

The large discharges of wastewater in different natural receiving environments, particularly the marine environment, have massively contributed to pollution. This study examined the physicochemical and microbiological quality of wastewater discharged along the Mediterranean Sea. This investigation is one of the few works carried out by scientists along with the Mediterranean countries. Wastewater sampling was carried out in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Italy. Analyses confirmed that the quality of treated wastewater was always better than the ones registered as raw wastewater. In addition, the quality of the treated wastewater and seawater appeared to be adequate and satisfied the standard and recommended limits in vigor in all these Mediterranean countries. These results showed that the wastewater treatment process used in Italy allowed a higher reduction in most tested parameters (COD: 80.44%, BOD₅: 58.9%, OM: 70.74%, TOC: 78.4%). The bacteriological quality of these waters and their diversification was assessed by the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) technique. Firmicutes, Gamma-Proteobacteria, and Beta-Proteobacteria in 42% of the DGGE DNA bands, and predominately some lineages affiliated to cultivable and non-cultivable clones of Bacteroides (58%), were found. The examination of antibiotic susceptibility at the level of 18 strains isolated from various arbitrary water samples showed that most of these isolates exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic family, and 11 isolates exhibited 100% resistance against aztreonam. This result confirms the large antibiotic-resistance spreading and circulation registered these last decades in the natural environment, conditioned by the extensive and non-controlled use of antibiotics for human therapy and animal feeding.

The reclaim of less-used plant sources is a novel approach to the growing demand for healthy and eco-friendly foods, and it constitutes a sustainable alternative to replace conventional food ingredients and sources of bioactives. In this work, a phytochemical profile in terms of mineral elements, total polyphenols, fatty acids, α-tocopherol, sterols, and squalene was realized for several commercial edible oils of bitter almond, pumpkin seed, apricot kernel, nigella, souchet, and wheat germ sourced in the Tunisian market. Wheat germ oil, which showed the most significant nutritional and healthy impact, contained the highest contents of Mg (52.37 mg kg⁻¹); Na (40.75 mg kg⁻¹); Mn (2.39 mg kg⁻¹); total sterols (1713.80 mg/100 g); and PUFAs (61.01%). The high levels of squalene detected on pumpkin seed oils (1160.01 mg kg⁻¹) allows to proposet it as valuable functional food. The highest total polyphenolic content found in nigella oils (109.01 mg GAE kg⁻¹) justifies its stability and antioxidant properties. A daily consumption of 10 g of bitter almond or souchet oil contributes to a 17.53% and 8.6% alpha-tocopherol daily intake, respectively. The usual consumption of these minor oils may represent a sustainable and convenient source of bioactives with beneficial effects on both human health and nutrition.

A DNA biosensor based on a modified gold electrode with a Au/cysteine/DNA matrix was developed for ultratrace determination of genotoxicity antibiotics. The modified Au/cysteine/DNA electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy methods. The interaction between immobilized DNA and genotoxicity antibiotics in hospital wastewater was investigated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technology. Using this technique, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin were detected in real time in the hospital wastewater (HW) of the Tunisian cities of Gabes, Tozeur, Sfax, and Gbeli. In addition, physicochemical parameters such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and total organic carbon (TOC) of HW samples that may affect the nature of the samples were studied. Comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis) was performed to measure the capacity of xenobiotics to induce DNA damage. In our conditions, this test indicated that all tested wastewater was able to alter cell integrity and cause DNA molecular damage, and the most genotoxic effect was found in the wastewater of Gabes hospital. Results show that the concentrations of the two antibiotics reached 33 and 40 ng/mL in the hospital wastewater of Gabes and Tozeur, respectively. The DNA biosensor based on the modified gold electrode exhibited superb performance and offers a probable application for the detection of genotoxicity antibiotics in hospital wastewater. The level of genotoxicity is proportional to the concentration of antibiotics detected in hospital wastewater. We will explore the application of this model for continuous monitoring downstream of hospital discharge and wastewater treatment plants for effective control of the presence of genotoxic products.