This research analyzed the volatile composition of the fruits pulp of six prickly pear cultivars (NT, NE, NO, NA, FR, and ORI) growing in Spain, by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography (GC-MS and GC-FID). A total of 35 compounds were isolated, identified, and quantified, with aldehydes, alcohols, and terpenes being the predominant chemical families, and esters, ketones, linear hydrocarbons, and terpenoids being also found. Nonanol, 2,6-nonadienal, 1-hexanol, 2-hexenal, and D-limonene were the predominant compounds. NT and FR cultivars showed the highest concentration of total volatile compounds. On the other hand, NE and NO cultivars presented the lowest concentration. Future studies on sensory evaluation are required to determine the sensory quality of the fruits of these Spanish cultivars.
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world. It can be used for medicinal purposes, animal nutrition, production of biofuels and phytoremediation of soils. Due to its high content of bioactive compounds, the prickly pear has antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to determine the polyphenolic, fatty acid and amino acid profile and characterize the antioxidant capacity of seeds of seven Spanish prickly pear cultivars. A total of 21 metabolites, mainly phenolic acids and flavonols, were identified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography photodiode detector quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS). Significant differences were found in the phenolic concentrations of the investigated varieties. The highest amount of phenolic compounds (266.67 mg/kg dry matter) were found in the “Nopal espinoso” variety, while the “Fresa” variety was characterized by the lowest content (34.07 mg/kg DM) of these compounds. In vitro antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with the amount of polyphenols. The amino acid composition of protein contained in prickly pear seeds was influenced by the variety. Glutamic acid was the predominant amino acid followed by arginine, aspartic acid and leucine, independent of prickly pear variety. Overall, 13 different fatty acids were identified and assessed in prickly pear seeds. The dominant fatty acid was linoleic acid, with content varying between 57.72% “Nopal ovalado” and 63.11% “Nopal espinoso”.
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) fruit from ‘Orito’ cultivar were stored at 2 °C and 90% RH for 28 days plus three days at 20 °C (shelf life, SL). This research analysed the changes in fruit quality parameters (weight loss, firmness, color, titratable acidity, and total soluble solids), ethylene production, respiration rate, antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds (total phenols and carotenoids) of cactus pear fruit during cold and shelf life storage. Under cold conditions, CO2 production decreased, and ethylene production increased slightly, while under shelf life conditions CO2 production increased and ethylene production increased more sharply. Firmness increased under cold conditions and did not change during shelf life period. The content of total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, total carotenoids, and lipo-antioxidant activity (L-TAA) remained stable under both conservation conditions. However, hydro-antioxidant activity (H-TAA) increased under both cold and shelf life conditions, and total phenols remained stable during cold storage and increased under shelf life conditions. Besides, weight loss was acceptable under both storage conditions, and color changes were more pronounced under shelf life storage. These results show that the marketability of cactus pear fruit from ‘Orito’ cultivar was acceptable until the end of the storage under cold and shelf life conditions.
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