Barks Essential Oil,Secondary Metabolites and Biological Activities of Four Organs of Tunisian Calligonum azel Maire

This study is the first to investigate the chemical composition of barks essential oil (EO), secondary metabolites and biological activities of the MeOH and infusions extracts of seeds, leaves, barks and roots of Calligonum azel Maire (Polygonaceae) harvested from Tunisian desert. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) results showed the presence of fifty‐four compounds in barks EO. The major components were: viridiflorol (14.6%), α‐eudesmol (8.65%), trans‐caryophyllene (6.72%), elemol (6.63%), β‐eudesmol (6.21%). The obtained results showed that C. azel is a very rich plant in secondary metabolites. High contents in polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins were observed in both extracts of all studied organs. Significant differences were found between both extracts of the four organs. Thus, polyphenols and tannins were more abundant in leaves infusion extract, while, flavonoids showed a high level in barks extract. The antioxidant activity data demonstrated that all extracts showed strong antioxidant and radical scavenging activities. The MeOH extracts presented potential for antibacterial and antifungal activities against all tested microorganisms. The inhibition zones diameters and minimal inhibitrice concentration values were in the range of 9 – 15 mm and 2.5 – 20 μg/ml, respectively. This study demonstrated that C. azel can be regarded as an excellent plant source for natural antimicrobial agents.     

Characterisation and identification of spoilage psychotrophic Gram-negative bacteria originating from Tunisian fresh fish

The contamination of fresh fish by spoilage bacteria is undesirable, particularly when Gram-negative bacteria, which produce thermo-resistant protease and lipase, can grow. The purpose of the present work was, therefore, to isolate and identify psychrotrophic Gram-negative (Psy G(-)) bacteria, isolated from 80 samples of 12 species of wild and aquacultured fresh seafood, by biochemical and molecular methods using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Twenty-eight identified strains were studied to evaluate their catalase, nitrate reductase, lipolytic and proteolytic activities, as well as growth ability, at different temperatures, pH and NaCl concentrations. Among 150 Psy G(-) strains, the most dominant species found were: Pseudomonas fluorescens, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas putida and Photobacterium damselae. All strains of Psy G(-) had catalase activity and were able to reduce nitrates to nitrites. Proteolytic activity on milk and on gelatin agar was demonstrated for the majority of the isolates. However, extracellular proteolytic activity as assessed by the azocasein method wasn’t very high in all the strains. Lipolytic activity, as assessed by the agar method, showed that 92.9 % of strains could hydrolyse egg yolk, against 82.1 % and 57 % that could hydrolyse Tween 20 and Tween 80, respectively.     

Comparison of Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Rubus ulmifolius Extracts Originating from Four Regions of Tunisia

In the current study, the phenolic composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of extracts from Rubus ulmifolius Schott leaves harvested in four localities (Sejnen, Tabarka, Faija and Ain drahem) in Tunisia were investigated for the first time. Great differences were found for the chemical composition, total phenol contents and biological activities among the evaluated extracts. HPLC analysis of methanolic extracts showed that the dominant compounds were kaempferol 3‐O‐rutinoside and naringenine. In addition, significant correlations were observed between antioxidant activities and phenolic contents. In fact, leaves collected from Sejnen presented higher total phenol content (53.32 mg GAE/g DW) and antioxidant activities (IC₅₀ = 39.40 mg/l) than the others samples. All extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity against six used bacteria with the inhibition zones diameters and minimal inhibitory concentration values were in the range of 8 – 16 mm and 6.25 – 25 mg/ml, respectively. The highest antimicrobial activities were recorded in Sejnen extract against Gram‐positive bacteria.