As consumer trends shift towards more natural and ecological consumption patterns, industrialists are actively working towards substituting synthetic chemicals with natural and vegan products that contain bioactive properties. Thus, considering the shifts in customer demand and the growing concern around vegetable sourced productions, this work aims to contribute to the valorization of aromatic and medicinal Moroccan plants. By focusing on the Marrubium vulgare L. species, our objective is to carry out a physicochemical characterization to determine its chemical composition and biological activities. The volatile fraction collected by hydrodistillation (0.61%) and analyzed by GC-MS (gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry) contains five main compounds: 3-Thujanone, Eugenol, Topanol, Menthone and Piperitone. The antioxidant activity has been estimated by applying the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging test and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The values of inhibitory concentration prove that our oil is a good antioxidant, with values of IC₅₀ = 1.136 mg/mL and IC₅₀ = 2.998 mg/mL, respectively, for the DPPH and FRAP tests. The results of the antifungal activity indicate a significant inhibition of mycelial growth for both tested molds, as well as a total inhibition of spore production at a concentration of 0.25 µL/mL.

This study aims to contribute to the valorizing of aromatic and medicinal plants of Morocco by studying the antioxidant and antifungal properties of the essential oils (EOs) of Allium sativum (AS) (garlic) and Urginea maritima (Syn. Drimia maritima) tested in vitro. After the hydrodistillation of EOs, we determined their physicochemical indices according to an international standard (Moroccan ISO standard), and the chemical composition of the oils was studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then, the antioxidant properties were determined using the free radical scavenging capacity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the ferric-reducing antioxidant power of these oils. The evaluation of the antifungal activity was carried out by the direct contact method against two fungal strains, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium equiseti. GC-MS analysis revealed a significant percentage of terpenes in U. maritima EO, with terpinolene (21.82%) and estragole (6.24%) as the main compounds. Biological tests have demonstrated the remarkable antioxidant activities of this EO compared with AS EO, with an IC₅₀ of 1.03 mg/mL and an RP_0.5 of 1.60 mg/mL. On the other hand, while A. sativum (garlic) EO showed exceptional antifungal activities, with 100% inhibition and MICs of 0.5 µL/mL for F. equiseti and 2.5 µL/mL for F. oxysporum. Also, regardless of its antioxidant properties being moderate, this EO stands out for its efficacy against fungal infections of the Fusarium genus. In summary, the results suggest that U. maritima EO could be used as a natural source of antioxidants, while garlic EO could be considered a potentially effective treatment against fungal infections caused by Fusarium fungi.