Chemical Characterization of Different Products from the Tunisian Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill

• Published in: Foods Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 155
• Main Authors: Albergamo, Ambrogina, Potortí, Angela Giorgia, Di Bella, Giuseppa, Amor, Nawres Ben, Lo Vecchio, Giovanna, Nava, Vincenzo, Rando, Rossana, Ben Mansour, Hedi, Lo Turco, Vincenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 07-01-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Arabinose; By products; Cactus; Cinnamic acid; Composition; Cultural heritage; Diet; Dietary fiber; Dietary minerals; Edible oils; Environmental impact; Fatty acids; Flavonoids; Food science; fruit pulp; Fruits; Glycosides; Kaempferol; Linoleic acid; Lipids; Manganese; nopal; Opuntia ficus-indica; p-Hydroxybenzoic acid; peel; Polyphenols; Proteins; Quercetin; Rutin; Seeds; Sugar; Sustainable production; Tunisian O. ficus-indica; Waste management; Water conservation; Italy; United States > US; Tunisia; Switzerland; Ireland; Germany; inorganic elements; polyphenols; sugars; Tunisian O. ficus-indica; fatty acids; seeds; nopal; peel; fruit pulp; by-products
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods11020155

Various dried (by-)products from the Tunisian
were elucidated for their proximate composition, fatty acid (FA) composition, inorganic elements, sugars, and polyphenols. Nopal and prickly pear peel and seeds were abundant in fiber (respectively, 28.39, 12.54, and 16.28%). Seeds had also high protein (17.34%) and may be source of an edible oil, due to lipids (9.65%) poor in saturated FAs (14.12%) and rich in linoleic acid (61.11%). Nopal and peel showed the highest levels of Mg (493.57 and 345.19 mg/100 g), K (6949.57 and 1820.83 mg/100 g), Mn (59.73 and 46.86 mg/Kg) and Fe (23.15 and 15.23 mg/Kg), while the fruit pulp predominantly constituted of sugars, glucose and arabinose being predominant (42.57 and 13.56 g/100 g). Total polyphenols widely varied among the Opuntia products (108.36-4785.36 mg GAE/100 g), being mainly represented by hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids, and flavonoids as well. In particular, peel may be revalorized for these valuable bioactives, including 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (484.95 mg/100 g), cinnamic acid (318.95 mg/100 g), rutin (818.94 mg/100 g), quercetin (605.28 mg/100 g), and several isorhamnetin and kaempferol glycosides. Overall, the Tunisian prickly pear cactus could encourage a sustainable production, an effective waste management, and may provide several benefits for human health, in accordance with the model of the Mediterranean diet.