Abstract
This research analyzed the phytochemical profile of prickly pear fruits from ‘Orito’ cultivar stored under cold conditions (2 °C, 85–90% RH) and shelf-life conditions at room temperature (stored at 20 °C for three days after cold storage) for 28 days, mimicking the product life cycle. A total of 18 compounds were identified and quantitated through HPLC-DAD-MS/MS (High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic -Diode Array Detector- Mass Spectrometry) analyses. Phenolic acids such as eucomic acid and betalains such as indicaxanthin were the predominant chemical families, and piscidic acid was the most abundant compound. During cold storage, the content of eucomic acid isomer/derivative and syringaresinol increased, and citric acid decreased, which could be caused by the cold activation of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes. However, no significant differences were found in the content of these compounds during shelf-life storage. These results showed that ‘Orito’ fruit marketability would be possible up to 28 days after harvesting, retaining its profile, which is rich in bioactive compounds.
Highlights
Pear is a sweet flavory fleshy berry with thick peel and many seeds, varying in size, shape, and color
In a previous work we demonstrated that ‘Orito’ fruit maintained its quality parameters in desirable values up to 28 days, both in cold conditions (2 ◦C, 85–90% relative humidity, RH) and during shelf-life storage, whereas the total phenolic content increased during the shelf life conditions [13]
Taking into account the compounds identified in prickly pear fruit pulp, betalains, phenolic acids, lignans were the most relevant classes of phytochemicals
Summary
Pear is a sweet flavory fleshy berry with thick peel and many seeds, varying in size, shape, and color. This fruit has excellent nutritional properties, is low in calories and high in bioactive compounds, such as betalains, phenolics and vitamins, which show antioxidant activity and are related with health benefits and the prevention of some chronic diseases, due to their anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, neuroprotective and antiproliferative activities, among others [1,2,3]. The (poly)phenolic composition of prickly pear fruits and derived products has been well described, and includes phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lignans, among others [2,7]. Fruits present high amounts of betalains [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
