Bøger af Miloudi Hilali

The argan tree (Argania spinosa, Skeels L., Sapotaceae) is an endemic tree of southwest Morocco, where it plays a very important socio-economic and environmental role. It is deeply implanted in the daily life of rural populations and plays a fundamental role in their subsistence.The argan tree fights against desertification, protects soils against water and wind erosion, and maintains their fertility. In addition to this environmental role, it has a direct economic interest by providing oil, foliage, fodder, wood and indirectly by the agricultural productions that it allows under its shade. The argan tree provides a livelihood for 3 million people.Despite all these interests, we are witnessing an alarming decline in argan forests both in area and density. In less than a century, more than 2/3 of the forest has disappeared and we count 600 ha lost each year. This regression is mainly due to an ecological imbalance of anthropic (human) origin. In the mountains, there is overgrazing and overexploitation of wood, in the plains, the argan tree is cleared because it hinders the intensification of agriculture.

In this work we studied the chemical composition of argan oil (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, Sapotaceae) according to its extraction method and production origin. We then conducted multi-criteria analysis for the search of adulteration of pure argan oil by other food oils, and finally we studied the phenolic composition of the pulp of the fruit of the argan tree. In the first part of this work we compared the physicochemical characteristics and chemical composition of 21 samples differing by their mode of extraction or coming from different regions of Morocco. The results of this work have contributed to the development of a national standard for argan oil. The second part of this work has developed a simple method and feasible in Morocco by quality control laboratories, for the search for adulteration of argan oil by other virgin oils such as soybean oil, rapeseed, sunflower, olive, apricot, hazelnut, peanut and sesame, based on the composition of fatty acids, triglycerides and sterols. Based on our results, an adulteration.