Intraspecific Chemical Variability of Essential Oil of Hoslundia opposita
Chemical investigation on leaves oil of Hoslundia opposita, aromatic plant used 
in traditional medicine, harvested from 20 localities of C?te d’Ivoire 
was realized by GC and GC/MS. In total, 101 compounds were identified 
accounting to 92% - 99%, aromatic compounds such benzyl benzoate and sesquiterpenes 
namely germacrene D, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene hydroxyl were found as the major constituents. As regard, 
the chemical profiles of our samples, it was found a great chemical variability 
suggesting a high polymorphism degree. In order to study this chemical 
variability, the results were submitted to the principal components and cluster 
analysis which allowed distinguishing two main groups of essential oils with 
respect to sampling site. The cluster I was dominated by benzyl benzoate (15%) 
and thymol (7.4%) comprising 6 localities, cluster II was characterized by 
phytol (8.5%) and α-humulene (7%) and constituted by 14 localities.
Aromatic plants of tropical central Africa. Part XXXII. Chemical composition and antifungal activity of thirteen essential oils from aromatic plants of Cameroon
The essential oils of Hoslundia opposita Vahl. (leaves), Hyptis lanceolata Poit. (whole plant), Hyptis suaveolens Poit. (leaves), Ocimum basilicum L. (whole plant), Ocimum canum Sim. (whole plant), Ocimum gratissimum L. (leaves), Plectranthus glandulosus Hook (leaves), Thymus vulgaris L. (whole plant), Piper capense L. (leaves and seeds), Piper guineense Schum. et Thom. (leaves and seeds) and Bixa orellana L. (leaves) which were obtained by hydrodistillation from plants collected in different regions of Cameroon, were analysed by GC and combined GC–MS. The oils of Hoslundia opposita, Hyptis lanceolata, H. suaveolens, T. vulgaris, P. capense, P. guineense and B. orellana were found to be rich in hydrocarbons (>58%). The most abundant compounds in the oils of O. basilicum, O. canum and P. glandulosus were alcohols and oxides (>40%), while in the oil of O. gratissimum the amounts of hydrocarbons and oxygen-containing components were roughly the same. It is of interest to note the presence in O. basilicum and P. guineense (leaves) of aromatic compounds in a sizeable amount (13.5% and 25.6% respectively). The antifungal activity of these essential oils against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus flavus, Aureobasidium pullulans, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum, and Trichoderma viride were also investigated. Two methods were used for these antifungal tests: the microatmosphere method and the standardized broth dilution micromethod. Three oils (from Ocimum gratissimum, Thymus vulgaris and Ocimum basilicum) showed strong antifungal activity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of some agro-technological parameters of cactus pear fruit ( Opuntia ficus-indica Mill . ) in Morocco cultivars
Cactaceae had always attracted attention by their strange shapes and important adaptability supporting extreme conditions. For this reasons, Fruit traits were measured on 13 cultivars growing in different locations in Morocco. Results show significant differences between the cultivars. The source of this variation was probably genetic without excluding the geographic effects. The Tamri, Berkan, Ait Baha cultivars showed small fruit dimensions and weight. In contrast, Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir were greater than 100 g by fruit. Sidi-Ifni M, Hoceima, Mohammedia and Nador, although larger, contained few seeds, about 200 seeds per fruit; while Tamri, Ait Baha, Safi, Meknes and Tafraout contained over than 230 seeds per fruit. High levels of juice about 62 ml/100 g pulp were obtained with Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir cultivars. Total sugars of the 13 cultivars were quite similar and pH was low in Tamri and close to neutrality in the rest of cultivars. Therefore, oil extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica seeds constituted 13.6% of the whole seed. Thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a relatively high degree of unsaturation, 83.32% and 16% for saturated fatty acid, with a linoleic acid content of 63.66% followed by oleic 18.34%, palmitic 12.84% and stearic acid 2.81%. Based on these results, O. ficus-indica seed oil appears to be a good potential source of edible oil for human and (or) animal consumption. Our investigation describes that Tamri and Tafraout cultivars are not really a commercial viable fruit due to low total soluble solids value and highest seeds number per fruit. Against Mohammedia, Sidi Ifni M and Nador cultivars proved to have the highest fruit weight, very good total soluble solids value and low number of seeds, these cultivars can therefore be planted for both fruit production and for harvesting of cladodes for animal feed.