Extraction and characterization of mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica cultivated on hydroponic system

Abstract

An interesting component of Opuntia ficus-indica is the mucilage for its properties and industrial uses. However, the great variability of its quantity and quality caused by different growing conditions, the hydroponic system is an alternative. The objective of the present study was cultivating 4 species of Mexican Nopal in a hydroponic system, extract and characterize the mucilage. The characterization consists of pH, ºBrix, colour, proximal analysis, phenols, antioxidant activity, crystallinity, and chemical bonding constituents. ‘Copena F1’ is the best alternative for production of biomass and mucilage. ‘Villanueva’ had high levels of phenols (1,311.83 mg GAE g-1), antioxidant capacity ABTS·+ (6,301.12 mg TE g-1) and FRAP (536.26 mg GAE g-1). A large amount of lipids (1.39%), and nitrogen-free extract (49.27%). The functional groups of the mucilage were identified (-OH, -CH, -CH2, -CH3, C=C, HCH, -CHO) and gypsum, cellulose, SiO2 CaSO4, C2H2K2O5, CaCO3 and CaH2 by X-ray diffraction. The hydroponic system is a viable alternative for production of nopal and mucilage of high-quality mucilage that can be used in several sectors of the industry.