The pomegranate, Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae), stands as one of the most widely employed oils in the cosmetic industry. However, due to its higher content of conjugated linoleic acid, its susceptibility to oxidation is a major challenge, with the most prominent being punicic acid. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of traditional roasting in a microwave on the lipid content, nutritional value, and oxidative stability of Moroccan pomegranate seed oil. The findings indicated a rise in the amount of oil after 15 min of roasting at 650 W, the amount of oil rose from 27.03 to 30.10 (g/100 g). However, the protein content, UV absorbance values, iodine, and saponification values were not significantly affected by a longer roasting time. The peroxide value increases with roasting (1.00 to 5.00 M.eq. O2/kg oil). The roasting process under 350 W did not significantly alter the fatty acid composition. The total tocopherol content exhibits a decrease with increasing roasting time and power, ranging from 333.36 mg/100 g for unroasted seeds to 316.84 mg/100 g for seeds roasted under the conditions of 650 W for 15 min. The roasting process has proven to be critical for the immediate and long-term preservation of the nutritional and physico-chemical properties of pomegranate seed oil.
This study investigates the use of nanodiamonds (ND) as a promising carrier for enzyme immobilization and compares the effectiveness of immobilized and native enzymes. Three different enzyme types were tested, of which Rhizopus niveus lipase (RNL) exhibited the highest relative activity, up to 350 %. Under optimized conditions (1 h, pH 7.0, 40 °C), the immobilized ND-RNL showed a maximum specific activity of 0.765 U mg-1, significantly higher than native RNL (0.505 U mg-1). This study highlights a notable enhancement in immobilized lipase; furthermore, the enzyme can be recycled in the presence of a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES), retaining 76 % of its initial activity. This aids in preserving the native conformation of the protein throughout the reusability process. A test on brine shrimp revealed that even at low concentrations, ND-RNL had minimal toxicity, indicating its low cytotoxicity. The in silico molecular dynamics simulations performed in this study offer valuable insights into the mechanism of interactions between RNL and ND, demonstrating that RNL immobilization onto NDs enhances its efficiency and stability. All told, these findings highlight the immense potential of ND-immobilized RNL as an excellent candidate for biological applications and showcase the promise of further research in this field.