Extraction and Characterization of Mucilage From Wild Species of Opuntia

Abstract

The aim of this work was to characterize the mucilage extracted from six species of Opuntia. The species studied were as follows: O. atropes, O. tomentosa, O. hyptiacantha, O. streptacantha y O. joconostle and O. ficus‐indica. The first step was to find the best extraction conditions to obtain an unaltered chemical structure of mucilage. The mucilages were characterized using high‐performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The optimal conditions employed to obtain the mucilage were: ratio of cladodes : ethanol solution at 50% of 1:1 (w/v), temperature of 22C and precipitation of mucilage with a solution of ethanol 96%, at a ratio of 1:4 (v/v). Mucilage from all species studied had a high content of soluble dietary fiber, ranging from 51.79 to 67.51%. In decreasing order, sugars found in the mucilages were: L‐arabinose (26.83–35.36%), D‐galactose (21.59–45.48%), D‐xylose (12.23–17.05%), uronic acids (5.59–13.91%), D‐glucose (5.18–16.21%) and L‐rhamnose (1.41–5.40%). Practical Applications This research presents an optimization method for the extraction of mucilage five wild species of cactus based on temperature and time of extraction and solvent ratio: sample used. Mucilages were characterized chemically and by chromatographic and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques and were compared with the species mucilage Opuntia ficus‐indica, the species most commercially studied. The mucilage obtained can be used for commercial purposes as additives in the food industry.

Towards Drylands Biorefineries: Valorisation of Forage Opuntia for the Production of Edible Coatings

“…These differences may be due to the storage temperature and drying time, since the mucilage is highly hygroscopic. The ash content in the mucilage was 13.14%, which is similar to the values reported by Rodríguez-González et al [28] and Rodríguez-González [27] for the mucilage of O. atropes and O. ficus-indica, i.e., 11.91% and 14.01%, respectively. The protein content in the mucilage was 1.11%, which is quite similar to the value measured by Espino-Díaz et al [9] in O. ficus-indica (1.04%) using the same analytical method.…”

“…The protein content in the mucilage was 1.11%, which is quite similar to the value measured by Espino-Díaz et al [9] in O. ficus-indica (1.04%) using the same analytical method. Finally, the crude fibre content was 55.92%, which is also similar to the values (57.71% and 57.23%) measured in the mucilage of O. atropes and O. ficus-indica, respectively, by Rodríguez-González et al [28] and Rodríguez-González [27]. The nitrogen-free extract (NFE) includes mostly soluble organic compounds (as starch and sugars).…”

“…The nitrogen-free extract (NFE) includes mostly soluble organic compounds (as starch and sugars). The value estimated for the mucilage (22.08%) is slightly higher but still similar to the range of values reported for other Opuntia species (1.52-17.01%) [28]. Quantification of the ethereal extract was not performed because the values found were less than 0.1% [28].…”

“…The value estimated for the mucilage (22.08%) is slightly higher but still similar to the range of values reported for other Opuntia species (1.52-17.01%) [28]. Quantification of the ethereal extract was not performed because the values found were less than 0.1% [28]. Elemental analysis indicated the mucilage was composed of 36.91% carbon, 6.0% hydrogen and less than 1% nitrogen.…”

Preparation and Physicochemical Characterization of Softgels Cross-Linked with Cactus Mucilage Extracted from Cladodes of Opuntia Ficus-Indica

“…It presents a molar mass of 3 × 10 6 gmol −1 and is composed of L-arabinose (24.6–42.0%), d -galactose (21.0–40.1%), d -xylose (22.0–22.2%), l -rhamnose (7.0–13.1%) and α- d -(1→4) galacturonic acid (8.0–12.7%), as well as insoluble and soluble fiber [8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. This water-soluble hetero-polysaccharide is considered a functional biopolymer due to its beneficial health properties, such as anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective and cholesterol-lowering activities, for which it is widely applied in the pharmaceutical industry [14,15,16,17,18]. In addition, CM is utilized in the nano- and micro-encapsulation of bioactive compounds and as a natural super-plasticizer in the food industry [13,19,20,21].…”