Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill Residues—Properties and Application Possibilities in Food Supplements

Salvador Manzur-Valdespino,Osmar Antonio Jaramillo-Morales,Luis Delgado-Olivares,José Arias-Rico,Zuli Guadalupe Calderón-Ramos,Manuel Córdoba-Díaz,Damián Córdoba-Díaz,Nelly Del Socorro Cruz-Cansino,Esther Ramírez-Moreno

doi:10.3390/app10093260

Salvador Manzur-Valdespino, Osmar Antonio Jaramillo-Morales + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093260

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Abstract

Recently, industry has been focusing on the development of new products made from food by-products in order to reduce and take advantage of food wastes. The objective of this study was to evaluate tablet formulations developed by mixing two commercial excipients, microcrystalline cellulose (M) and α-lactose-monohydrate (L), added with powder from residues (mesocarp and pericarp) of green and red (G and R) cactus pear fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill), having the following formulations: green with microcrystalline cellulose (GM), green with lactose (GL), red with microcrystalline cellulose (RM), and red with lactose (RL). The results showed lower disintegration times for the tablets with microcrystalline cellulose. The fiber functional properties presented good values for lipid and water holding capacity. There was a higher total phenolic content (TPC) in formulations with green cactus pear residue powder with microcrystalline cellulose and lactose (GM and GL, respectively), but the DPPH and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) values were higher in the formulations with red cactus pear residues (RM and RL), while ABTS values were similar among all formulations. In conclusion, tablets made from Opuntia residues are proposed as a product of interest for the food supplement industry because of the good quality parameters and the functional and antioxidant properties that they provide.

Highlights

Dietary supplements are important sources of nutrients widely used by the population, and they play an essential role in disease prevention [1]
The cactus pear fruits were manually harvested during September 2015 and were selected in agreement with the Mexican legislation for nonindustrialized food products relating to the human use of cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) fruit, being of firm consistency, clean, free of foreign matter, and free of damage caused by pests or diseases in addition to presenting a state of commercial maturity, determined by the observation of the sinking of the fruit receptacle [25]
The fruits were divided into three batches, washed, and manually peeled; the residues were separated, frozen to −32 ◦ C and lyophilized (VWR26671-581 Labconco, Kansas City, MO, USA)

Summary

Introduction

Dietary supplements are important sources of nutrients widely used by the population, and they play an essential role in disease prevention [1]. There are many kinds of dietary supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, and oils, among others. A dietary supplement is defined “as a product that contains one or more concentrated nutrients [2], with the objective of increasing the intake of some nutrients in the daily diet”. These supplements are regulated by the Food and Drug. The supplement industry is growing fast since people expect to find ready-to-eat products from natural sources such as fruits, vegetables, or herbs with bioactive compounds which promote health [4]. Several studies have reported that different agro-food by-products such as fruit and vegetable residues, including Opuntia ficus-indica

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