Oxidative stability of cosmetic argan oil: a one-year study.

The objective of this work is to determine the chemical stability of cosmetic argan oil (INCI: Argania spinosa kernel oil). The methodology involves the repeated measurement over a 1-year period of the quality metrics used in the cosmetic industry: acid and peroxide value and specific absorbance. During this year, storage is performed at 40° or 25°C to assess the importance of temperature. In this latter case, oil samples have been either protected or exposed to sunlight. In addition, sterol and fatty acid composition is determined to attest argan oil chemical integrity over 1 year. Storage of argan oil at 40°C results in a rapid loss of quality. Stored at 25°C and protected from sunlight, argan oil quality is still satisfactory after 12 months according to the official Moroccan norm, but storage should not be longer than 6 months to fulfill industrial standards.

Triterpenoids from Argania spinosa: 20 years of research.

During the last two decades, the argan tree has been the subject of intensive phytochemical investigation. If argan oil is the most known argan derivative, argan saponins are frequently considered as molecules presenting a strong economic potential. This review presents an update of the current research efforts on argan saponins from around the world. Research evidence suggests that arganine C can be considered as a lead compound for new antivirals.

Argan oil and postmenopausal Moroccan women: impact on the vitamin E profile.

Vitamin E supplements could be beneficial for postmenopausal women. To evaluate the effect of edible argan oil consumption on the antioxidant status of postmenopausal women, the vitamin E serum level of 151 menopausal women consuming either olive or argan oil was determined. Serum level of vitamin E was increased in the argan oil consumer group. Therefore, an argan oil-enriched diet can be recommended to help prevent some postmenopausal disorders.

A new rapid and micro-scale hydrolysis, using triethylamine citrate, for lipopolysaccharide characterization by mass spectrometry.

Endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) is, in general, composed of two moieties: a hydrophilic polysaccharide linked to a hydrophobic lipid A terminal unit and forms a major surface component of gram-negative bacteria. The structural features of LPS moieties play a role in pathogenesis and also involve immunogenicity and diagnostic serology. The major toxic factor of LPS resides in the lipid A moiety, anchored in the outer layer of the bacterium, and its relative biological activity is critically related to fine structural features within the molecule. In establishing relationships between structural features and biological activities of LPS it is of the utmost importance to develop new analytical methods that can be applied to the complete unambiguous characterization of a specific LPS molecule. Herein is presented a practical rapid and sensitive analytical procedure for the mass spectral screening of LPS using triethylamine citrate as an agent for both disaggregation and mild hydrolysis of LPS. It provides improved matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectra and, in particular, affords the identification of fragments retaining labile substituents present in the native macromolecular LPS structures. The methods were developed and applied using purified LPS of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, as well as more complex LPS of Actnobacillus pleuropneumoniae.