Germination can be considered an important process for modifying quinoa seeds’ nutritional and bioactive compounds. Understanding how germination modifies seed composition is essential to optimize their use in different food preparations and to meet the current trend for a healthy and balanced...

The Moroccan olive oil industries generate a substantial amount of olive mill wastewater (OMW), causing a significant environmental issue. Consequently, its valorization represents a sustainable agroecological solution to the environmental problems caused by this uncontrolled discharge. In this...

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a facultative halophyte renowned for its importance in enhancing food security, and it supports forage production across diverse climatic regions. The objective of this study is to examine the impacts of multiple pre-treatment methods on C. quinoa seed (Titicaca cultivar) germination parameters, identify the optimum pre-treatment to diminish the consequence of salinity, and promote the productivity of this crop, especially in marginal environments. For this purpose, a spectrum of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations spanning from 0 to 500 mM and gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations ranging from 0 to 300 ppm were tested, and mechanical scarification (MS) was carried out. The effect of a combination of these pretreatment NaCl/GA3 and NaCl/MS on the germination parameters of C. quinoa seed was also investigated. The results showed that the total germination, vigor index, and germination index decreased progressively with an increase in salinity. Hence, salinity exhibited a notable influence on most germination parameters. Moreover, seeds scarified with 500 mM of NaCl negatively affected all measured parameters. In contrast, gibberellic acid applied at 200 ppm was effective on most of the parameters measured, particularly under 100 mM of NaCl. These findings indicate that immersing seeds in gibberellic acid could mitigate the adverse impacts of salinity.

This study investigated the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and genotoxic potential of essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydrodistillation from aerial parts of four wild-growing Lamiaceae species in eastern Morocco: Spanish ziziphora (Ziziphora hispanica L.), felty germander (Teucrium polium L.), French lavender (Lavandula dentata L.), and topped lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed eucalyptol (40.08%), thujopsene (11.25%), β-myrcene (15.82%), and fenchone (30.69%) as the major constituents in Z. hispanica, T. polium, L. dentata, and L. stoechas, respectively. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated using three complementary assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and β-carotene bleaching. L. stoechas and L. dentata exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.284 to 1.71 mg/mL across assays. Genotoxicity was assessed in rat leukocytes using the alkaline Comet assay at EO concentrations of 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/mL. All tested EOs induced statistically significant DNA damage compared to the negative control, though the extent varied by species and concentration; notably, L. stoechas at 2.5 µg/mL showed the lowest genotoxic impact. These findings highlight the dual potential of these EOs as natural antioxidants while underscoring the need for dose-dependent safety evaluation prior to therapeutic or industrial application. Given that DNA damage was detectable even at 2.5 µg/mL, a conservative practical recommendation is to keep EO levels below 2.5 µg/mL-equivalent in preliminary applications, pending further in vivo toxicology to establish NOAEL-based exposure limits.

Species of the Opuntia genus are widely recognized for their richness in bioactive metabolites and antioxidant potential, particularly in their cladodes. However, despite increasing interest in cochineal-resistant cultivars, their genotoxic safety remains poorly explored. In this study, the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and genotoxic effects of cladode extracts from three Dactylopius opuntiae-resistant Opuntia species (O. ficus-indica, O. robusta, and O. stricta) collected in eastern Morocco were comparatively evaluated. Hydroethanolic extracts were characterized for their biochemical composition and screened for antioxidant activity using DPPH, β-carotene bleaching, FRAP, and total antioxidant capacity assays. An untargeted UHPLC-Orbitrap MS/MS approach was applied to profile secondary metabolites, while genotoxicity was assessed using the comet assay on rat leukocyte DNA. The three species exhibited distinct phytochemical and antioxidant profiles. O. ficus-indica showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the strongest radical scavenging and reducing capacities, whereas O. stricta was particularly rich in ascorbic acid and exhibited the highest total antioxidant capacity. Metabolomic analysis revealed a predominance of phenolic acids and flavonoids, with piscidic acid as a major constituent, along with isorhamnetin derivatives and organic acids. Importantly, none of the extracts induced genotoxic effects compared to the negative control, while all differed significantly from the oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide. Overall, these findings demonstrate the phytochemical richness, antioxidant potential, and genotoxic safety of cochineal-resistant Opuntia cladodes, supporting their sustainable valorization in food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and agricultural applications.

Seed germination is a simple and effective method for producing germinated seeds with high nutritional quality. These seeds can be incorporated into various foods, providing a healthy alternative to meet the growing demand for nutritious products. This study investigates the effect of germination on ascorbic acid, sodium, condensed tannins and fatty acids in quinoa seeds grown in eastern Morocco. Seeds were germinated under controlled conditions (25 °C, 70 % relative humidity, 16 hr light/8 hr dark) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr, then dried, crushed and analysed. Ungerminated seeds served as the control (0 hr). Analyses were performed in triplicate and data were statistically evaluated using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test. Compared to the control, significant variations occurred during germination. Ascorbic acid was enhanced at 72 hr and 96 hr (+5.03 and +4.57 mg/100 g DW, p < 0.05). Monounsaturated fatty acids also showed significant improvement at 24 hr and 96 hr (p < 0.01), while sodium and condensed tannins showed significant reduction at 96 hr (p < 0.01). At 72 hr, a marked decline in saturated fatty acids (p < 0.05) was accompanied by a significant improvement of polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.01). These findings demonstrate that prolonged germination (>72 hr) improves quinoa powder’s nutritional quality by enhancing ascorbic acid and unsaturated fatty acids while reducing condensed tannins, sodium and saturated fats. Therefore, germinated quinoa powder (>72 hr) produced in eastern Morocco represents a novel functional ingredient for nutritionally fortified food products, supporting germination as an effective natural method to enhance quinoa’s nutritional value and reduce antinutritional compounds.