Characterization of Bioactive Compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Seeds from Spanish Cultivars.

Joanna Kolniak-Ostek,Lucia Andreu-Coll,Pilar Legua,Joanna Miedzianka,Agnieszka Kita,Francisca Hernandez

doi:10.3390/molecules25235734

Joanna Kolniak-Ostek, Lucia Andreu-Coll + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25235734

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Abstract

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”.

Highlights

Known as the prickly pear or cactus pear, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world
Phenolic acids were the dominant group of phenolic compounds as compared to flavonols, and their total amount was 17% higher. These results are in agreement with the results presented by Guevara-Figueroa et al [21], who analyzed the concentration of phenolic compounds in commercial and wild prickly pear cladodes
The research conducted has shown that the seeds of the prickly pear (O. ficus-indica) are an excellent source of nutrients and health-promoting substances

Summary

Introduction

Known as the prickly pear or cactus pear, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world. Is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world This plant is mainly known for its fruit, but cladodes are consumed, mainly in Mexico, which is the country with the largest area under cultivation and the largest producer [1,2]. An edible oil can be obtained from prickly pear seeds, which is rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, of which linoleic acid is the predominant fatty acid, followed by oleic acid [9,10,11] The consumption of these kinds of fatty acids is related to health benefits and contributes to the improvement of various health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes mellitus, among others [12]

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