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.

Capparis spinosa L. is a Mediterranean shrub and one of the most important species of the gender Capparis due to its ecological, medicinal and economic importance. This species has strong adaptation characteristics to regions with fluctuating climates. This work aims to evaluate the effect of the locality’s climate and plant’s parts on the content of polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant and antifungal activities of caper leaves and seeds. The present study was carried out in 7 localities in 2 Moroccan regions, Oriental and Fez-Meknes, where we collected leaves and seeds samples. Phenolic compounds were determined by the Folin Ciocalteu method, antioxidant activity was studied by DPPH and ABTS tests and an in vitro test of antifungal activity was achieved using Alternaria alternata. The analysis of variance showed no significant effect of locality, plant’s parts and their interaction on the phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antifungal activities of C. spinosa. Methanolic leaves extracts demonstrated the most favorable outcomes, yielding a maximum polyphenol content of 124.48 ± 0.05 mg EAG/g DW. Additionally, the maximum flavonoid content was recorded at 24.51 ± 0.01 mg EQ/g DW. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration at 50 % (IC50) is 2.06 ± 0.05 mg/mL and 2.05 ± 0.02 mg/mL using DPPH and ABTS tests respectively. These extracts exhibited the highest % of inhibition, 30.59 % at 1000 ppm against A. alternata. The richness of the caper plant in bioactive compounds reveals an interest in its therapeutic and pharmaceutical virtues. In addition, it could be an alternative to chemicals for the control of phytopathogenic fungi on fruits or vegetables.