Lahcen Hssaini

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique | INRA Morocco · Department of Food Technology and Quality

Primary and secondary metabolites are among the markers for addressing fig chemotypic variability. These compounds are mainly driven by the cultivar factor besides chromatic coordinates color as they are highly correlated to these biomarkers. Combined use of chemical analytical procedures and vibrational spectroscopy is of great importance for a be...

Intensification of poultry and livestock activities around the globe leads to the production of a huge amount of organic waste, primarily poultry manure. These biowastes, largely composed of organic materials, can be either a valuable resource or an environmental pollutant threatening precious natural resources. The valorization of these biowastes...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of storage time and temperature on the bioactive and sanitary quality of cherry syrup made from the "Burlat" cultivar cherries. The syrup was pasteurized at 70 °C for 2 min and stored at four temperatures (− 20, 4, 28, and 40 °C) for six months. The total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), total anthoc...

This study investigated potential mislabeling within 23 fig cultivars from northern Morocco by integrating morphometric and biochemical markers through multivariate analysis. The aim was to assess cultivar identification accuracy and explore efficient germplasm management strategies. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed a statistically sig...

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a popular fruit crop known for its nutritional and health benefits. However, water scarcity in many regions of the world has necessitated the adoption of specific strategies to conserve water resources. This study aimed to investigate the impact of continuous deficit irrigation (CDI) on the chemical and biochemic...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of storage time and temperature on the biochemical and sanitary quality of cherry syrup made from the " Burlat " cultivar cherries. The syrup was pasteurized at 70°C for 2 minutes and stored at four temperatures (-20, 4, 28, and 40°C) for six months. The total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), total a...

This research focuses on understanding the spatial variation of Soil Organic Matter (SOM) and pH levels in the North of Morocco. The study employs a comprehensive approach to enhance predictive modelling, incorporating the Boruta algorithm for effective environmental covariates selection and optimizing model parameters through hyperparameter optimi...

Introduction Ficus carica L. seeds are a substantial source of minor oil with high unsaturation levels and potent antioxidant properties. The study aims to evaluate the mineral composition, lipodomic profile, and vibrational fingerprints of 22 fig genotypes utilizing FTIR-ATR techniques and chemometrics. Methods FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and chemometr...

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus L., which has a special aroma, colour and odour influencing positively its economic value. In this context, ten saffron ecotypes were screened for their biochemical composition and antioxidant activity. The samples were also analysed using GC‐MS and LC‐MS to determine their content of vol...

The interest of this work is to appreciate the plasticity of tolerance and adaptability to high temperatures by analyzing the production, growth, physiology and fruit quality traits of the plum variety ‘Angelino’ (Prunus salicina L.). The experiment was conducted in 2021 on fourteen-year-old trees under drip irrigation installed at National Institu...

Pomegranate trees are known for their ability to withstand drought conditions, but there is still much to learn about how water stress affects the lipobiochemical behavior of their seeds. This study aimed to investigate how sustained deficit irrigation (SDI-50), equivalent to 50% of crop evapotranspiration, influences pomegranate seed oil attribute...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the drought response of eleven pomegranate cultivars during two consecutive years (2020–2021) by assessing their response to severe water stress. Irrigation treatments consisted of a control treatment irrigated at 100% of crop evapotranspiration ETc (CT) and a water stress treatment irrigated at 50% ETc (ST...

Morocco is one of the most important fig (Ficus carica L.) diversity hotspots globally, where its cultivation is ancestral. This large diversity, alongside its valorization, has gone unheeded for many reasons, some of which have to do with ancient agricultural strategies besides the lack of exhaustive studies. Although being the third worldwide fig...

Fruits are typically seen, as a natural source of health-promoting compounds concentrated, mainly in their peel and pulp, though very little is known concerning lipochemical and antioxidant properties found in their respective seeds. For figs (Ficus cacrica L.), a traditional food staple for a healthy diet in Middle Eastern and North African countr...

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is the world's second-largest oilseed crop after soybean. It contains functional compounds, including fatty acids and phenols, which are known for their health and nutritional benefits. In Morocco, rapeseed was introduced as a promising oilseed crop that has shown good adaptation and great potential. Six genotypes were...

There are no established studies investigating the impact of drought stress tolerance on plum's performance (Prunus salicina L.) in Morocco. This study aimed to assess the effect of sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) on the yield and physiological traits of plums during the fruit development period in the Sais plain, northern Morocco. Eleven plum c...

Dried figs undergo undesirable changes during storage, particularly browning reactions. An approach to this issue is using, separately, antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and salicylic acid as anti-enzymatic browning agents. The aforementioned chemical agents were tested at the concentrations 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3% during 6 weeks-storage at 4 °C, for d...

Background Mapping of soil nutrients using different covariates was carried out in northern Morocco. This study was undertaken in response to the region's urgent requirement for an updated soil map. It aimed to test various covariates combinations for predicting the variability in soil properties using ordinary kriging and kriging with external dri...

BACKGROUND The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an ancient perennial plant species of the Punicaceae family. Its seeds are consumed as food or as juice. Previous studies have noted that pomegranate juice encompasses many active compounds with beneficial effects. The main goals of this work were to study the phenolic components of freeze‐dried and r...

Moisture sorption isotherms of five sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) at three temperatures of 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C, and water activity range of 0.057–0.898 were determined using the static gravimetric method. The sorption isotherms of all cultivars decreased with increasing temperature, and they all exhibited type II behavior according to t...

This work investigates the relationships between leaf traits and olive response to water stress through two complementary field experiments in order to screen genotypes for drought tolerance. The first experiment consisted of the phenotyping of 32 olive varieties for 11 leaf morpho-physiological traits during a fruit set phase under well-watered co...

Irradiation is one of the promising food preservation techniques, but few are known about its impact on foods' water vapor change. In this research, the impact of gamma irradiation on moisture adsorption isotherms of dried figs, one of the most emblematic foods of the Mediterranean diet, at increasing doses (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 kGy) was investigated....

This research investigates the influence of two irrigation regimes on juice chemical and biochemical characteristics of eleven Mediterranean pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars during two consecutive years (2019–2020). Control trees were fully irrigated (FI) at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and the stressed ones were subjected to a...

Soil fertility assessment and management are challenging for several African countries, as it requires continuous monitoring of important indicators such as organic matter, potassium and phosphorus, which implies time and chemical inputs consuming techniques. The present study aims to test the feasibility of using three machine learning algorithms,...

Date seeds are thus far the least studied part of the Phoenix dactylifera L. species, as they are usually discarded as waste despite their richness in functional and bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to assess the phytochemical compositions and in vitro antioxidant capacities of crude acetone extract from date seed powder in order...

This work investigates response to drought of nine local cultivars alongside two exotic varieties of Japanese plum (Prunus salicina L.) through their yield and fruit quality components. It was carried out at Sais plain, northern Morocco, over two consecutive years (2019-2020). Water stress was imposed by a deficit irrigation (DI) treatment of 50% E...

Pomegranate tree is cultivated since ancient times in Morocco, where a high genetic diversity is hosted mainly in traditional agroecosystems. Over the past decade, it regained importance through extension of cultivated area, but remains thus far little valued. To date, its genetic variability and chemodiversity have gone unheeded for many reasons,...

This study aims to identify the individual phenolics and volatile compounds, as well as the organic acids of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) genotype fruits. The antioxidant activities were also assessed using three methods (DPPH, ABTS and βeta carotene bleaching assays) significant differences (p˂0.05) were observed among all the genotypes. Tot...

Mid-infrared spectroscopy using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) correction was coupled with partial least square regression (PLSR) for the prediction of phenolic acids and flavonoids in fig (peel and pulp) identified with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), with regards t...

This research investigates whether pollination and pollen sources separately and simultaneously influence fig seed set and quality, as being thus far the less studied part of the fig trees. This is the first research that tries to answer and verify the above hypothesis through a combined approach of vibrational spectroscopy along with lipo-biochemi...

In this work, we tested different combinations of sampling strategies, random sampling and conditioned Latin Hypercube sampling (cLHS)] and sample ratios (10% = 147 and 25% = 368) to predict soil phosphorus and potassium contents, previously estimated using standard laboratory protocols. Other environmental covariates, used as input data for predic...

This study was performed to examine the separate and simultaneous influence of predictive models’ choice alongside sample ratios selection in soil organic matter (SOM). The research was carried out in northern Morocco, characterized by relatively cold weather and diverse geological conditions. The dataset herein used accounted for 1591 soil samples...

First convectional thin layer drying of two fig ( Ficus carica L.) varieties growing in Moroccan, using partially indirect convective dryer, was performed. The experimental design combined three air temperatures levels (60, 70 and 80 °C) and two air-flow rates (150 and 300 m ³ /h). Fig drying curve was defined as a third-order polynomial equation l...

Palm date seeds oil of eight varieties were investigated for physical, chemical, and phytochemical analysis, and compared to used commercial oils. Significant differences were observed among varieties. The oil content of the eight varieties ranged from 6.05 to 10.25%. Fatty acid analysis using GC-MS revealed that oleic acids were the dominant compo...

Soil aggregate stability (SAS) is a critical parameter of soil quality and its mapping can help determine erosion hotspots. Despite this importance, SAS is less documented in available literature due to limited number of analyzes besides being a time consuming. For this reason, many researchers have turned to alternative methods that often use read...

Combining phenotypic and genotypic germplasm characterization is a key to efficient and successful safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) breeding program by identifying valuable and confirmed parents. This study aimed to investigate and use appropriate statistical methods for such a characterization, and to identify potential genetic pools in safflow...

The spatial investigation of soil aggregate stability (SAS) has become necessary to identify areas at risk of degradation and to take action to improve their quality. Unfortunately, most studies do not consider this parameter because it was seen as a time and material-consuming parameter. Therefore, several studies have tried to develop alternative...

Vibrational spectroscopy analysis of full-ripened fig fruits (Ficus carica L.) was acquired using Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy by attenuated total reflectance (ATR). The objective of this study was to investigate accurate discrimination of 25 fig cultivars using chemometric analysis of both ATR–FTIR fingerprinting and in-vitro a...

Figs are a traditional pantry staple for healthy eating in Middle Eastern and North African countries as fig trees grow abundantly in such hot and dry climates. Despite the importance of this species, chemotypic diversity has gone unheeded and therefore its valorization pathways remain poorly documented. For this reason, high-pressure liquid chroma...

This work investigated the effects of sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) on yield components and fruit physico-biochemical proprieties of two pomegranate cultivars, ‘Sefri’ and ‘Wonderful’ 21 trees each, in Sais plain (northern Morocco) over two consecutive seasons (2018–2019). Irrigation treatments consisted of a control, irrigation applied to ful...

The effect of ascorbic acid (AA) and salicylic acid (SA) used separately at the following concentrations 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 %, on enzymatic browning and quality of “Nabout’’ dried fig during 6 weeks-storage at 4 °C within sealed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bags, was investigated. The results showed that AA and SA at higher concentrations, partic...

In the present study, chromatic coordinates, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,20 -azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline6-sulfonate (ABTS) and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity (LPIC) essays and their relative IC50 were investigated in 25 fig cultivars growing in Morocco. The ai...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate eleven plum cultivars (Prunus domestica L.) for drought tolerance based on agronomic performance and various physiological traits. The experiment was carried out under field conditions in Sais Plain (NW Morocco) on eight-year-old plum trees under drip irrigation. Two water treatments were applied during the...

Fig (Ficus carica L.) seeds are the less studied part of the species so far. They are usually discarded after their processing and scarcely studied for nutraceutical purposes. For this reason, the present work reports the lipochemical properties of fig seeds extracted from four fig cultivars conducted in an ex-situ collection. Oil was chemically ex...

The objective of this study was to identify, quantify, and elucidate the polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, and their antioxidant activities (via 13 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (DPPH) radical and 2,2ʹ-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging abilities and bleaching β-carotene tested in vitro in t...

In Morocco, walnut tree (Juglans regia L.) cultivation is ancestral with complicated misidentification and unknown local genetic diversity. Atlas Mountains host a rich walnut tree germplasm, which has arisen from seedlings. The use of molecular markers makes it possible to overcomes confusion usually encountered in phenotypic characterization, ther...

This study aimed to explore the main biochemical components and the antioxidant capacity of five strawberry tree fruits using three antioxidant essays within the ecotypic comparison scheme, to find out the most valuable fruit presenting disease-preventing properties. Total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, antioxidant activity (DPPH, A...

The effects of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on the performance of almond cv. Tuono, peach cv. JH-Hall and plum cv. Stanley were assessed on the Saiss Plain (NW, Morocco) over three consecutive growing seasons (2011–2013). Irrigation treatments consisted of a control, irrigation applied to fully satisfy crop water requirements (100% ETC), and...

Moisture sorption isotherms of two fig varieties most grown in Moroccan orchards were assessed simulating the conditions of storage using the gravimetric static method at 30, 40, and 50°C. The equilibrium was reached within 8 to 10 days for desorption and adsorption, respectively over a stepwise increase of relative humidity ranging from 5% to 90%....

There are not many exhaustive works emphasizing the amount of genetic diversity among the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L) genotypes in Morocco. This work aims to assess the biochemical composition of strawberry tree fruits, as well as to establish the variation of this composition among them. In this study, total phenols (TP), total flavonoids (T...

There are not many exhaustive works emphasizing the amount of genetic diversity among the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) genotypes in Morocco. This work aims to assess the biochemical composition of strawberry tree fruits, as well as to establish the variation of this composition among them. In this study, total phenols, total flavonoids, conde...

This study was carried out to evaluate fruit quality of five sweet cherry cultivars grown in Morocco, namely, Burlat, Van, Cerisette, Napoleon and Coeur de pigeon. Significant differences (p˂0.05) were observed across the five cultivars in fruit weight (5.24–8.72 g), geometric mean diameter (14.22–16.36 mm), pH (3.48–4.12), soluble solid content (1...

With the progresses of oilseed industry, an important interest is currently being focused on exploiting novel and underutilized sources for vegetable oils. Being so far the less studied part in fig fruits, seeds separated from four fig cultivars were assessed for their oil content, fatty acids identification, total phenolics and invitro antioxidant...

There is very little information available on the physicochemical proprieties and biochemical composition of the honey commercially available which are truly endangered in Morocco. None of the studied honey is available for commercial purposes, which is the main interest and novelty of this study. The aim of this work is to characterize and classif...

There are not many exhaustive works emphasizing the amount of genetic diversity based on multivariate analysis of a large sample of fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars in Morocco. In this study, 96 local and 44 introduced fig cultivars were assessed using 41 descriptors. The studied genotypes exhibited a highly significant variability based on morpholo...

There is limited variability within rapeseed germplasm in Morocco. Induced mutation was recently used to generate novel genetic variability and develop mutant lines combining desirable traits. In this context, nine promising advanced rapeseed M2 mutant lines and the wild‐type variety “INRA‐CZH2” were evaluated for their seed oil content, fatty acid...

In the present study, morphological traits, organic acids, sugars, total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, total anthocyanidins, antioxidant activity and color parameters such as lightness(L*), Chroma (c*) and hue angle (h°) were investigated in 11 local and introduced fig cultivars cultivated in Moroccan climate. Since only limited in...

This study aimed to screen 135 cultivars of fig (Ficus carica L.) to identify the most suitable cultivars in terms of morpho-agronomic and biochemical characters. The free radical scavenging activity was assessed through DPPH, ABTS and β-Carotene bleaching assays. The studied genotypes exhibited significant variability (p < .01) following all trait...

There is a very few information available on the physicochemical proprieties and biochemical composition of the honey commercially available which are truly endangered in Morocco. None of the studied honey is available for commercial purposes, which is the main interest and novelty of this study. The aim of this work is to characterize and classify...

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. Abderrahman Mekaoui was not listed among the authors. The corrected author list is given above. The original article has been corrected.

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is an important natural source of bioactive compounds in the health-promoting Mediterranean diet. However, there are no established studies investigating antioxidant compounds and their variability in figs grown in Moroccan orchards based on biochemical attributes. In this study, 135 local fig clones and foreign varieties were...

Introduction - A survey of family yards and traditional orchards was conducted to collect and evaluate phenotypic variation of fig (Ficus carica L.) accessions grown in Northern Morocco. Material and Methods - 20 local farmers were surveyed to identify different fig accessions grown in three northern regions of Morocco (Taounate, Ouazzane, and Mekn...

Abstract This work aims to assess pomological and biochemical characteristics of fig fruit of 140 known local and foreign genotypes belonging to INRA Meknes collection in Ain Taoujdate. Multivariate analysis was made on the basis of 43 pomological and biochemical characters on samples of 15 fruits for each genotype. Results showed a very high signi...

Lahcen Hssaini1,2, Hafida Haninie2, Rachid Razouk1, Ibtissame Guirrou1,3, Assia Ejjilani1,2, Abderrahman Mekaoui1, and Jamal Charafi1* 1 National Institut of Agricultural Research (INRA), regional center of Meknes, Morocco; 2 Laboratory of Bioprocess and Bio-Interfaces, Faculty of Science and Technology, Beni Mellal, Morocco ; 3 Laboratory of food...