Phytochemical Characterization, Antioxidant Activity, and Potential Food Application of Myrtus Communis L. from Bejaia, Algeria.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22399/ijcesen.5366Keywords:
Myrtus Communis L, Essential oils, Hydrodistillation Kinetics, Polyphenols, Antioxidant activity, Natural colorantAbstract
Myrtus Communis L. (Myrtle) is a medicinal and aromatic plant widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean area and traditionally used for therapeutic and pharmaceutical purposes, also culinary. The present study aims to investigate the phytochemical characteristics and biological potential of wild Myrtus Communis L. harvested from the mountainous region of Tifra (Wilaya of Bejaia, Algeria) at an altitude of 432 m. Ethnobotanical surveys carried out in six region of North-East Algeria ( per station) showed that myrtle is mainly used in therapeutic purposes (63.93%) especially for gastric pathologies and rheumatism. The essential oils (EO) were extracted from the dried leaves with maximum EO content of (0.57%) by means of conventional hydrodistillation (HD) with an optimum extraction window of 100 and 250min.Histological analysis revealed typical schizogenous secretory cavities located just below the foliar epidermis. Optimization of polyphenol extraction provided a superior yield by maceration (average: 29%). Moreover, the aqueous extraction showed notable DPPH radical-scavenging activity with an of 0.59 mg/ml. Finally, natural food-grade aromas and stable fruit-derived colorants were successfully isolated and preserved up to 4 months, showing the high potential of Algerian Myrtus Communis L. as a safe additive in the agro-industrial and pharmaceutical industries
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