Mohamed A Farag

Cairo University | CU

Olive leaves (Olea europaea L.) represent a valuable by-product with potential benefits. The current study reports on leaf metabolome from 8 Egyptian cultivars based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and combined with chemometrics tools. Trees’ age, cultivar type, and extraction meth...

The olive oil industry produces huge amounts of solid by-products (e.g., pomace, leaf, and stone), representing a rich source of polyphenols. Different extraction techniques were compared, including conventional (e.g., maceration) versus modern (e.g., microwave-, ultrasound-, and enzyme-assisted extraction), to yield a total of 17 extracts to inclu...

From a traditionally used spice to a highly valued therapeutic plant with many biological effects, Alpinia katsumadai Hayata seed (AKS) is widely used as a functional food or nutraceutical. In folk medicine, AKS has been used as an anti-emetic and for gastric disorders. Up to 2024, no comprehensive review summarizing the mode of action of AKS phyto...

Marjoram (Origanum majorana L.), also known as "sweet marjoram" or "sweet oregano" is a Mediterranean herbaceous perennial herb cultivated in Egypt and widely consumed as an herbal supplement for treatment of several ailments. The main goal of this study was to assess volatiles' variation in marjoram samples collected from two different widely cons...

Background Brassica juncea L. (family Brassicaceae) or Indian mustard is a fast‐growing oilseed crop. Climate changes mean that it is very important to evaluate the effects of salinity stress on B. juncea. The aim of this study was therefore to show the metabolic effect of salinity stress on shoots and roots using two cultivation models – hydroponi...

Torreya grandis nuts require postharvest ripening for oil accumulation, with ethephon (ETH) commonly used to induce such process, thereby impacting the endophytic microbial community. In this study, shelled T. grandis nuts were divided into two groups: one treated ETH and the other with water (CK). The ETH treatment expedited nutrient metabolism...

BACKGROUND The present study focuses on the aroma and secondary metabolites profiling of three Pelargonium graveolens cultivars, baladi (GRB), sondos (GRS) and shish (GRSH), grown in Egypt. Utilizing a multiplex approach combining high resolution‐ultraperformance liquid chromatography (HR‐UPLC)/tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and gas chromatograph...

This study comprehensively analyzes the primary metabolites of sweet potato peels and pulps from four cultivars and assesses the impact of four different processing methods on pulp metabolome using a multiplex metabolomics approach of GC–MS and NIR. A total of 69 metabolites were identified. Beauregard cv. showed the highest sugar content (387.85 m...

The risk of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing worldwide with limited success using classical drugs, which has underscored the development of novel agents. Recently, carrier-free molecular assembly has been proven to be an effective drug delivery system, but it has yet to be examined for UC drug development using phytochemicals. Based on traditi...

Background Sapota, Manilkara zapota L., are tasty, juicy, and nutrient-rich fruits, and likewise used for several medicinal uses. Methods The current study represents an integrated metabolites profiling of sapota fruits pulp via GC/MS and UPLC/MS, alongside assessment of antioxidant capacity, pancreatic lipase (PL), and α-glucosidase enzymes inhib...

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea; Brassicaceae) is an edible, oilseeds-yielding crop widely consumed as a food spice owing to its richness in nutrients with several health benefits. The current study aims to dissect the B. juncea metabolome heterogeneity among its different organs including leaf, stem, flower, and seed. Moreover, assessing the metab...

Phytic acid, a naturally occurring compound predominantly found in cereals and legumes, is the focus of this review. This review investigates its distribution across various food sources, elucidating its dual roles in foods. It also provides new insights into the change in phytic acid level during food storage and the evolving trends in phytic acid...

This study evaluated antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of chitosan gel (Cs-gel) functionalized with cinnamaldehyde oil (CN) and orange peel-derived flavonoid extract (Fs) using the ionic-gelation method. Results showed that the encapsulation efficiencies of CCF-9 and CCN were 83.14 ± 3.34 and 80.56 ± 1.17%, respectively. The interaction of C...

Recently, the growth of consumer demand for natural herbal products with both safety and efficacy has led to great advances in analytical tools to assess and assure their quality. Marjoram ( Origanum majorana L.), also known as "sweet marjoram" or “sweet oregano” is a Mediterranean herbaceous perennial herb cultivated in Egypt. The main goal of thi...

Short-chain fatty acids (ScFAs) are the primary energy source of colonic epithelial cells, but oral ScFAs are digested, absorbed, or degraded before reaching the colon. the acylated starch with ScFAs can be fermented and release specific ScFAs under the action of colonic intestinal microbiota. this review first introduces the preparation method, re...

This study investigated the changes in phytochemical composition and inflammatory response of crude papaya (Carica papaya L.) seed oil (CPO) and its refined forms (degummed, PDG; deacidified, PDA; decolorized, PDC; deodorized, PDO). Oils were analyzed for their phytochemical composition, oil quality parameters, antioxidant activity, and their infla...

Background Quetiapine (QET) abuse has increased due to its anxiolytic and hedonic effects, necessitating protective adjunct treatments. Acacia saligna (A. saligna) flowers, used in traditional medicine, have potential health benefits. Aim To investigate the protective role of A. saligna flower extract against QET-induced sexual toxicity, and to el...

Kidney injury has become an increasing concern for patients because of environmental hazards and physiological factors. However, the early diagnosis of kidney injury remains challenging. Studies have shown that oxidative stress was closely related to the occurrence and development of kidney injury, in which abnormal hydrogen per-oxide (H 2 O 2) pro...

Introduction Isolation and characterization of bioactive components from complex matrices of marine or terrestrial biological origins are the most challenging issues for natural product chemists. Biochemometric is a new potential scope in natural product analytical science, and it is a methodology to find the compound's correlation to their bioacti...

Introduction With an increasing interest in healthy and affordable cereal intake, efforts are made toward exploiting underutilized cereals with high nutritional values. Objectives The current study aims to explore the metabolome diversity in 14 cultivars of chia and quinoa collected from Germany, Austria, and Egypt, compared with wheat and oat as...

Introduction The Olive ( Olea europaea L.) is one of the most popular edible oil‐producing fruits, consumed worldwide for its myriad nutritional and health benefits. Olive oil production generates huge quantities of by‐products from the fruit, which are considered environmental hazards. Recently, more and more efforts have been made to valorize oli...

Diabetes mellitus is a globally metabolic endocrine syndrome marked by a deficiency of insulin secretion (type-1 DM) or glucose intolerance arising from insulin response impairment (type-2 DM) leading to abnormal glucose metabolism. With an increasing interest in natural dietary components for diabetes management, the identification of novel agents...

Myricetin shows great anti‐inflammatory effect on colitis and supplementation with myricetin could improve gut microbiota dysbiosis. It is reported that the abnormal blood glucose condition of prediabetes could aggravate the progression of inflammation. However, there is no report on whether myricetin has the protective effect on inflammation comor...

Torreya grandis is a medicinal and edible food plant from southern China that is high in flavonoids and other bioactive compounds. Among these, Torreya grandis-enriched kayaflavone is a unique biflavone with potent antibacterial, antioxidant, and other health-promoting properties. However, the regulatory mechanisms directing kayaflavone biosynthesi...

The importance of food quality and safety lies in ensuring the best product quality to meet consumer demands and public health. Advanced technologies play a crucial role in minimizing the risk of foodborne illnesses, contamination, drug residue, and other potential hazards in food. Significant materials and technological advancements have been made...

Piper nigrum L. (black and white peppercorn) is one of the most common culinary spices used worldwide. The current study aims to dissect pepper metabolome using ¹H-NMR targeting of its major primary and secondary metabolites. Eighteen metabolites were identified with piperine detected in black and white pepper at 20.2 and 23.9 μg mg⁻¹, respectively...

Olive (Olea europaea) has economical value in the Mediterranean region being used for the production of olive oil which represents a significant economic asset. The vision for olive oil byproducts is being dramatically changed from industrial waste products and sources of pollution to significantly important byproducts considering their beneficial...

Herbal spices are widely consumed as ood additives owing to their distinct aroma and taste as well as a myriad o economic and health value. The aroma profle o our major spices including bay lea, black pepper, capsicum, and ennel was tested using HS-SPME/GC-MS and in response to the most widely used spices´processing methods including autoclav...

High-temperature tolerant varieties/hybrids of tomato overcome stress-related changes due to their intrinsic cellular metabolic capabilities. We have used untargeted metabolite profiling and comparative biochemical and biological analyses of high temperature tolerant (HTT) tomato hybrid VRNTH18283 and sensitive (HTS) VRNTH19072 to decipher altered...

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease suffered by elderly population worldwide. There are different treatment options for its symptomatic relief including the use of inhibitors of monoamine oxidase-B, acetylcholinesterase enzymes and L-DOPA though with certain side effects. Materials and Methods: To identi...

Increasing attention has been given to mango (Mangifera indica) fruits owing to their characteristic taste, and rich nutritional value. Mango kernels are typically discarded as a major waste product in mango industry, though of potential economic value. The present study aims to outline the first comparison of different mango kernel cvs. originated...

Microalgae species are of economic importance regarded as “green gold” being rich in bioactive compounds. Spirulina and Chlorella are the most popular microalgal species and are marketed as healthy food supplements. At the same time, Amphora holds potential as a source of healthy lipids and essential fatty acids. Yet, there are considerable variati...

Erigeron bonariensis is widely distributed throughout the world's tropics and subtropics. In folk medicine, E. bonariensis has historically been used to treat head and brain diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most widespread form of dementia initiated via disturbances in brain function. Herein, the neuroprotective effect of the chemically ch...

In the original publication [...]

Sea cucumbers, belonging to class Holothuroidea, are marine invertebrates with substantial bioactive compounds. This study provides the first comparative metabolome profiling of Holothuria atra and Actinopyga crassa sea cucumbers in relation to their season of collection to dissect between winter and summer samples, providing several first-time rep...

As prebiotics, plant-origin polysaccharides can be metabolized by the gut microbiota, leading to the production of metabolites such as short-chain atty acids (SCFAs) and neurotransmitters. Probiotics, and their metabolites, help balance both anti-infammatory and pro-infammatory responses through various mechanisms. Moreover, probiotics can metabol...

Sea cucumbers, belonging to class Holothuroidea, are marine invertebrates with substantial bioactive compounds and nutritive value. This study presents a multiplex metabolomics approach to dissect between winter and summer samples of two Red Sea cucumbers: Holothuria atra and Actinopyga crassa. LC-MS and GC-MS followed by multivariate data analyses...

Introduction: The genus ClusiaL. is mostly recognized for the production of preny-lated benzophenones and tocotrienol derivatives. Objectives: The objective of this study was to map metabolome variation within Clusia minor organs at different developmental stages. Material and Methods: In total 15 organs/stages (leaf, flower, fruit, and seed) were...

For years, researchers have been tirelessly searching for efficient postharvest preservatives to ensure a sustainable and healthy supply chain of fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the effectiveness of preservatives is significantly influenced by delivery methods employed for preservatives. This work centers on delivery methods of diverse preser...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ficus benghalensis, commonly known as Banyan Fig, is the national tree of India and its aerial roots are used traditionally to treat female reproductive disorders. However, despite this traditional use, no pharmacological evidence could be traced supporting this use. Additionally, no comprehensive metabolite profilin...

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is among the most important commercial horticultural crops worldwide. The crop quality and production is largely hampered due to the fungal pathogen Alternaria solani causing necrotrophic foliage early blight disease. Crop plants usually respond to the biotic challenges with altered metabolic composition and physiologi...

Diabetes mellitus is a globally metabolic endocrine syndrome marked by a deficiency of insulin secretion (type-1 DM) or glucose intolerance arising from insulin response impairment (type-2 DM) leading to abnormal glucose metabolism. With an increasing interest in natural dietary components for diabetes management, the identification of novel agents...

Background The processing of the three major crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, and crab) is associated with inevitable by-products, high waste disposal costs, environmental and human health issues, loss of multiple biomaterials (chitin, protein hydrolysates, lipids, astaxanthin and minerals). Nowadays, these bioresources are underutilized owing to the...

Guava (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) is an economic grown worldwide tree, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Guavas encompass numerous cultivars (cvs.) that were discriminated in previous studies based on leaf morphological features and profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Nevertheless, fruit VOCs have also shown outstandin...

Exploring novel sources of plant protein for nutrition of both humans and animals is motivated mainly by its growing demand worldwide, besides identifying healthy alternatives for animal protein. The present study evaluates metabolome diversity within 15 legume seed species. The examined samples comprised three Melilotus, four Medicago, four Trifol...

Scope Higher flavonoid intake is associated with reduced risk of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, there is a large discrepancy in the effects of flavonoid supplementation on NAFLD. To fill such knowledge gap, we systematically reviewed randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to critically assess flavonoid supplementation effect on live...

Gingerols represent the main bioactive compounds in ginger drugs mostly Zinigiber officinale (F. Zingebraceae) and account for the biological activities and the strong/pungent flavor in ginger. Ginger (Z. officinale) rhizome is one of the most valued herbal drugs for ailments’ treatment in many ayurvedic medicine asides from its culinary applicatio...