The eastern region of Morocco is renowned for the production of two varieties of figs, Ghoudane (GD) and Chetoui (CH), which are characterized by their high productivity and quality. To ensure a profitable selling price, producers often dry these figs, a process that not only increases their storage capability but also enhances their nutritional and health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition and potential health benefits of dried GD and CH figs. The findings of this study reveal that both varieties of dried figs have a rich composition of sugars, lipids, proteins, vegetable fibers, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and other nutrients. Moreover, both GD and CH figs that have been sun-dried meet the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s standard in terms of dry matter and diameter. However, their marketability and commercial quality as dried figs are only classified as Category I or lower-caliber figs. In terms of color, CH figs are lighter and brighter than their GD counterparts, making them more appealing to consumers. Furthermore, this study investigated the extraction of polyphenols and flavonoids from both dried fig varieties using different solvents. Distilled water was found to be the best extraction solvent for polyphenols in both varieties, with GD figs showing a higher content (483.6 mg GAE/100 g) than CH figs (408.3 mg GAE/100 g). Meanwhile, ethanol was found to be the best extraction solvent for flavonoids, with GD figs (180.2 mg of QE/100 g) showing a higher content than CH figs (122.9 mg of QE/100 g). In addition, the majority of the extracts, particularly the ethanol extracts, showed high efficiency against the tested bacteria and yeast. Notably, dried GD figs had higher amounts of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared to dried CH figs. The study also revealed high correlations between phytochemical content and both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. In conclusion, this study highlights the nutritional and health benefits of dried figs, particularly the GD variety, and their potential as a natural source of antimicrobial compounds. The findings suggest that dried figs could be an alternative source of natural antimicrobial agents for various applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

The Opuntia genus is widely recognized as a significant member of the Cactaceae family. The eastern Moroccan prickly pear’s wild ecotype is renowned for its production of fruits of superior quality, which are in high demand. Nonetheless, the white cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae) has emerged as a significant hazard to the persistence of the indigenous wild prickly pear population in the majority of the country’s territories. Conventional plant propagation techniques may facilitate the transmission of pathogens to successive generations and thus fail to satisfy market requirements. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to develop a rapid and efficient protocol for large-scale production of the eastern Moroccan wild ecotype using axillary buds as the starting material. Sterilization of the starting material is a crucial but challenging step in this species, as the meristem is located just beneath the spine. The protocol developed for this study produced moderately satisfactory results, with 20 to 30% contamination in each experiment. The obtained shoots were incubated on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with varying concentrations of BAP (0, 1.5, 3, 5, and 7.5 mg/L). The treatment with BAP at 5 mg/L exhibited a statistically significant increase in the average number of regenerated shoots per explant (19.42). The effect of kinetin on the rooting of prickly pear was evaluated by transferring the shoots to a MS medium supplemented with varying concentrations of kinetin (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 mg/L). The use of kinetin increased the number and length of roots while also shortening the root development period from 21 days to 10 days. The best results were obtained at a concentration of 1.5 mg/L of kinetin. Furthermore, satisfactory acclimatization of plants was achieved by using plastic containers with a gradually increasing opening of the lids. The outcomes of this experimentation have significant potential to facilitate the preservation of this botanical variety, reduce the risk of white cochineal infestation, and address the need for superior quality fruit supply in the market.

The edible part of the prickly pear fruit is most commonly consumed, while the peel is often discarded, leading to the loss of valuable bioactive components, such as phenolic compounds. This research aims to assess the antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and quantities of phenolic and flavonoid contents of fruit peel of Opuntia ficus-indica, Opuntia robusta, and Opuntia dillenii. Ten phenolic compounds were identified, with isorhamnetin being the most abundant flavonoid measuring 7184.09 μg/g, while sinapic acid was identified as the major phenolic acid measuring 1806.36 μg/g. Opuntia robusta exhibited the highest total phenolic content, total flavonoids, and total phenolic acids measuring 5583.19 mg GAE 100 g⁻¹, 21041.03 μg/g, and 3265.17 μg/g, respectively. Opuntia robusta and Opuntia dillenii demonstrated the higher antioxidant capacity in scavenging 2,2‐azinobis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) compared to Opuntia ficus-indica, whereas Opuntia dillenii and Opuntia ficus-indica exhibited the highest concentration of antioxidants capable of reducing the Fe³⁺ complex of ferric ions (TPTZ)³⁺ to the ferrous complex Fe (TPTZ)²⁺. In contrast, the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays showed no significant difference between the examined species. Compared to the local species Opuntia ficus-indica, the two newly introduced Dactylopius opuntiae‐resistant species are richer in phenolic compounds and exhibit greater antioxidant activity.

Prickly pear serves as a significant source of income for farmers worldwide, with production taking place in temperate, subtropical, and cold regions. The objective of the present investigation is to explore the morphological parameters of Opuntia robusta and Opuntia dillenii which are resistant to the white cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae), as well as the local prickly pear that is currently threatened with extinction. This investigation aims to evaluate the feasibility of replacing the endangered local prickly pear with the recently introduced species O. robusta and O. dillenii. This analysis is based on a comprehensive assessment of 26 qualitative and 25 quantitative traits pertaining to cladodes and fruits. In terms of species differentiation and the selection of discriminative features, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of various statistical methods, as well as the analysis carried out according to the descriptors recommended by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). Of the 51 parameters evaluated, 13 qualitative and 23 quantitative characters are significant in differentiating the species under study. This underscores the importance of quantitative traits in distinguishing different prickly pear species. Furthermore, color is identified as a crucial characteristic for discriminating between the studied samples. O. robusta is characterized by its high fruit weight, large size, greater pulp content, and high pulp-to-peel ratio, all of which are desirable traits for fresh consumption. Additionally, O. robusta has the highest number of fully developed seeds, making it an attractive option for use in the cosmetic industry. This characteristic renders the O. robusta a potential substitute for the endangered ecotype . However, O. robusta is distinguished by its short stalk, which poses a challenge for fruit harvesting and leaves it susceptible to physical damage and quality loss. Conversely, O. dillenii displays a low pulp content, which serves as a critical indicator of fruit quality. The only desirable agronomic trait of this species is its elevated seed content, which has the potential for utilization in oil production for the cosmetic industry.

Global distribution of prickly pear spans worldwide, with limited cladode exploitation, particularly in Mediterranean regions, excluding American continent nations. Our research reports on three species found in eastern Morocco, including Opuntia ficus indica and the two newly introduced species Opuntia robusta and Opuntia dillenii. The study aims to evaluate the total phenolic content, the amounts of various phenolic compounds classes, and the antioxidant activity across a spectrum of biochemical measurements including the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), 2,2’-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and total antioxidant capacity assay (TAC). The results showed that O. robusta exhibited the highest total phenolic content (5061.70 mg GAE/100 g) which enhances the significance of this species in terms of nutrition. Differences were also observed in different stage of cladodes maturity, demonstrating that the age factor affects the polyphenol contents. Moreover, O. robusta displays the highest amount of total phenolic compounds (11430.35 μg/g) either for flavonoids or phenolic acids. Furthermore, the oldest cladodes show more higher phenolic compounds (22998.62 μg/g) compared to the youngest one’s (20438.54 μg/g). Ten phenolic compounds were identified, in which isorhamnetin represent the most abundant flavonoid (6747.85 μg/g), while the chlorogenic acid was determined as the major phenolic acid (2771.69 μg/g) followed by sinapic acid (2047.64 μg/g). The DPPH assay indicates that O. ficus-indica possessed the higher hydrophilic antioxidants able to reduction the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylradical free radical. While O. robusta exhibited a greater quantity of antioxidants, which effectively reduced the Fe 3+ complex of ferric ions (TPTZ) 3+ . In contrast, old cladodes of O. robusta and O. dillenii demonstrate the higher ability to scavenge the 2,20-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) or ABTS +.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) generates substantial agro-industrial by-products, such as press cake, seed, and oil, that remain underexploited despite their recognized phytochemical richness. This study reports the systematic optimization, characterization, and bioactivity profiling of flavonoid-rich extracts recovered from these three matrices. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of total flavonoid content (TFC) from press cake using a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES: fructose–glycerol–sorbitol–water and FGSH), selected through an initial screening of fifteen solvent systems. The quadratic polynomial model showed excellent fit (R² = 0.9852; R²adj = 0.9687; MAPE = 1.31%; Durbin–Watson = 1.857), and optimal extraction conditions were established at 37.6 min extraction time, 35.6% ultrasonic power, and 29.4 °C, yielding a maximum predicted TFC of 54.78 ± 0.49 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/mL. HPLC-DAD analysis of the press cake extract revealed five isorhamnetin derivatives as the dominant flavonoids, with isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside (23.18 ± 0.12 mg/g DW) and isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (13.80 ± 0.28 mg/g DW) as the most abundant. Comprehensive bioactivity assessment demonstrated significant antioxidant capacities (CUPRAC: 191.35 ± 3.22 µM AAE; ORAC: 184.44 ± 3.44 µM TE; DPPH: 103.47 ± 9.98 µM TE for press cake extract), potent in cellulo ROS/RNS suppression in a yeast UV-stress model (85.9 ± 1.0% inhibition for press cake), and differential tyrosinase inhibition across fractions (press cake: 32.8%; seed: 57.5%; oil: 83.8%), highlighting the oil as a potent anti-melanogenic ingredient. In silico safety prediction (ProTox-II/pkCSM) confirmed the favorable toxicity profiles of all identified isorhamnetin derivatives (LD₅₀ > 5000 mg/kg; Toxicity Class V). These results collectively position Opuntia ficus-indica by-products as high-value natural sources of bioactive flavonoids with applications in cosmetic, nutraceutical, and dermatological formulations.