Total Tocopherols, Carotenoids, and Fatty acids Contents Variation of Pistacia atlantica Desf Different Organs Crude Oils and their Antioxidant Activity during Development Stages

The current study investigated the effect of developmental stages on the chemical composition and the antioxidant activity of fifteen crude oil samples obtained from Pistacia atlantica Desf leaves, galls, and fruits. Twelve fatty acids were detected by GC/FID, linolenic acid (C18:3) was the major fatty acid detected in leaves crude oils that registered [41.73 % ( P ˂ 0.05)] on the last stage. The best content of tocopherols and carotenoids was recorded at the last stage for leaves and galls oils respectively, with values of [1.530 ± 0.01, 0.52 ± 0.01 ( P ˂ 0.05) mg α-tocopherol equivalent /g DW] and [86.60 ± 0.95, 69.15 ± 0.13 ( P ˂ 0.05) µg β-carotene equivalent /g DW]. For fruits oils, the content varied depending on the levels of fruits maturation. The results from DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays were revealed that the antioxidant activity increased with the increasing contents of tocopherols and carotenoids in leaves and galls oils during development stages, and varied for fruits oils depending on the ripening stages. Moreover, according to PCA analysis the best phytoconstituent contents and antioxidant activity was attributed to P. atlantica Desf fruit's crude oils. Also, a strong relationship was found between the antioxidant activity and bioactive phytochemical components, such as tocopherols, carotenoids, and omega-three fatty acid, which confirmed that P. atlantica Desf crude oils present a valuable source of natural antioxidant, that could be used for pharmaceutical and food industries purposes.

Keywords: Chemical composition; Pistacia atlantica Desf; antioxidant activity; crude oil; development stage.