S. ALI HAIMOUD et al.: Enhancement of Technological Properties and Therapeutic Potencies of..., Kem. Ind. 71 (7-8) (2022) 447−456 447 1 Introduction Enrichment is a strategy to correct defciencies in micro- nutrients and reduce their incidence. This technology is justifed when access to a diversifed diet is limited and therefore adequate levels of various micronutrients are not achievable. The goal of micronutrients is to increase the intake of one or more nutrients that are insuffcient in the food supply. 1,2 Couscous is the product of durum wheat semolina (Triti- cum durum). The components are agglomerated by adding drinking water and subjected to physical treatments such as cooking and drying. 3,4 The chemical composition of couscous was reported in many studies. The importance of couscous comes from its rich complex mixture composi- tion including carbohydrates (65 to 75 g per 100 g), lipids (1.50 to 3.50 g per 100 g), proteins (12.50 to13.50 g per 100 g), fbres (7 to 9 g per 100 g), moisture (< 13.50 %), and essential minerals (< 0.05 g per 100 g). 5 Couscous is one of the most ancient foods, and was developed by the indigenous inhabitants (Berbers) of North Africa. Al- geria has a culinary heritage that revolves around several traditional dishes. Today, couscous, the traditional Algerian dish, is part of the world’s culinary heritage. It is prepared with vegetables (carrots, green beans, zucchini, potatoes, turnips, chard, cabbage, tomatoes, onion and garlic are added to the sauce as spice), pulses, and different types of meat (red meat, chicken meat and fsh). 6 Phenolic components are commonly known as plant sec- ondary metabolites and produced under normal and stress conditions. 7 More than 8000 phenolic compounds as nat- urally occurring substances have been reported. 8 These molecules prevent various diseases and possess diverse biological activities such as antioxidative, anti-infammato- ry, 9 antibacterial, 10 cardioprotective potencies, 11 immune system promoting, skin protection from UV radiation, and are interesting candidates for pharmaceutical and medical application. 12 In the scientifc literature, several studies have been con- ducted on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of couscous. Different ingredients were used for the en- richment of couscous, such as pseudocereals (amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa), 13 bulgur four, 5 chickpea, 14 buck- wheat and legume four 15 and soy four and oat four. 16 Issoufer is a traditional preparation of 16 herbs used in the folk medicine of Algerian Sahara regions. This mixture of herbs, mostly used to enrich couscous, is commonly con- sumed by the local population, and intended as a reme- dy for women after childbirth to fght various infectious diseases (gastrointestinal and urinary tract pathogenic in- fections). The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of the enriched couscous with Issoufer powder on physicochemical, technological, and microbiological char- acteristics, as well as on the therapeutic (antioxidant and antibacterial) potencies. Enhancement of Technological Properties and Therapeutic Potencies of Couscous through Enrichment with Issoufer: Traditional Plant Medicines https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2021.080 KUI-38/2022 Original scientifc paper Received December 8, 2021 Accepted February 28, 2022 S. Ali Haimoud, a* N. Naas, b and I. Kebaili b This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License a  Laboratory of Natural Bio-Resources, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Hassiba Benbouali University, Ouled Fares, Chlef 02 010, Algeria b  Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, Hassiba Benbouali University, Ouled Fares, Chlef 02 010, Algeria Abstract Enrichment of food is a strategy to reduce the incidence of defciencies in micronutrients in a population. Couscous is widely consumed in Algeria, thus the objective of this study was to obtain an enriched couscous with enhanced therapeutic potencies and with good physicochemical, technological, and microbiological characteristics. Three mass ratios of the traditional prepa- ration Issoufer (10, 20, and 30 %) were added to wheat couscous, and then compared with a control couscous made 100 % of semolina. A signifcant (p < 0.05) increase was noticed in the ash, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, favonoids, and anti-radical activity values, for all the mass ratios of Issoufer powder. In contrast, the moisture and pH-value re- vealed a signifcant (p < 0.05) decrease in Issoufer powder. The acute toxicity study revealed no lethal effects and behavioural signs of toxicity at the tested doses (100, 250, 500, and 750 mg kg −1 ) of the extract of Issoufer during the 5 days of observation. The results of antibacterial activity showed diameters of inhibition zones had achieved 29.90±0.60 mm. Based on obtained results, Issoufer powder can be considered a good ingredient to develop functional couscous naturally enriched of secondary metabolites, and can be used in the prevention of several diseases, as well as used in the food industry. Keywords Food enrichment, couscous, Issoufer, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity * Corresponding author: Safa Ali Haimoud, Dr Email: s.alihaimoud@univ-chlef.dz