Storage Potential of the Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) Fruit Juice and Its Biological and Chemical Evaluation during Fermentation into Cactus Pear Wine

Supplementation with cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit decreases oxidative stress in healthy humans: a comparative study with vitamin C

Fruits and fermentation methods are important sources of organic acids that determine organoleptic properties, microbiological and biochemical stability of fruit wines. This study is aimed at investigating total titrable acidity and organic acids of fruit wines produced by response surface optimization of cactus pear and Lantana camara fruits blend and cactus pear fruit alone. The predictive mathematical model of the blended fruit wine is well fitted (R 2 = 0.9618 and absolute average deviation (AAD) = 2.06%). The optimum values of fermentation temperature, inoculum concentration, and Lantana camara fruitjuice concentration to produce predictive total titrable acidity of 0.8% (w/v citric acid) were 24°C, 10% (v/v), and 10.7% (v/v), respectively. The blended fruit wine was with lower total titrable acidity (w/v citric acid) of 0.83 ± 0.058% compared to wine produced from cactus pear fruit alone 1.06 ± 0.27%. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of both produced wines revealed the difference in concentration of citric (±3.35 mg/ml), L‐tartaric (± 3.71 mg/ml), and L‐ascorbic acid (± 0.07 mg/ml). Citric acid was predominant organic acid in both fruit wines, and its content in the cactus pear is 7.09 ± 0.07 mg/ml and blended fruit wine 4.74 ± 0.07 mg/ml.

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit juice is a source of betaxanthin pigments which can be used as a natural yellow food colorant. The HPLC chromatographic pigment pattern corresponding to the betaxanthin-rich extract revealed the presence of four betaxanthins, of which indicaxanthin (proline-betaxanthin) accounts for around 85%. A betaxanthin-rich water-soluble food colorant from cactus pears fruits was produced by spray-drying microencapsulation using maltodextrin as a wall material. The resulting powder was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and its apparent color was analyzed by spectrometry. The stability of the microcapsules was examined at +20, +4 and -20 °C in the dark during sixmonths of storage. The degradation of betaxanthins was delayed by microencapsulation and their colorant stability increased at lower temperatures. The potential application of the colorant microcapsules was successfully assessed in two food model systems: a yogurt and a soft-drink. Both foods presented an attractive pale yellow color. Pigment retention and color parameters were investigated during storage under controlled conditions. Slight changes in the pigment retention, in both model systems, pointed to excellent preservation in the dark, even after 28days at 4°C. However, the presence of light contributed to betaxanthin deterioration. Spray-drying microencapsulation succeeds in reducing volumen of the pigment extract and can be easy in storage and delivery of the powders. It is proved to be a suitable process that can be recommended for stabilizing betaxanthins from cactus pears to be used as water-soluble natural colorants in foods.

BackgroundDietary ingredients and food components are major modifiable factors protecting immune system and preventing the progression of a low-grade chronic inflammation responsible for age-related diseases.ObjectiveOur study explored whether cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica, Surfarina cultivar) fruit supplementation modulates plasma inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults. Correlations between inflammatory parameters and antioxidant status were also assessed in parallel.DesignIn a randomised, 2-period (2 weeks/period), crossover, controlled-feeding study, conducted in 28 healthy volunteers [mean age 39.96 (±9.15) years, BMI 23.1 (±1.5) kg/m2], the effects of a diet supplemented with cactus pear fruit pulp (200 g, twice a day) were compared with those of an equivalent diet with isocaloric fresh fruit substitution.ResultsWith respect to control, cactus pear diet decreased ( p < 0.05) the pro-inflammatory markers such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon-γ (INF)-γ, IL-8, C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), whereas it increased ( p < 0.05) the anti-inflammatory marker IL-10. Moreover, the diet decreased ratios between pro-inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory biomarker (IL-10) ( p < 0.05). Cactus pear supplementation caused an increase ( p < 0.05) in dermal carotenoids (skin carotenoid score, SCS), a biomarker of the body antioxidant status, with correlations between SCS and CRP (r = −0.905, p < 0.0001), IL-8 (r = −0.835, p < 0.0001) and IL-10 (r = 0.889, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe presently observed modulation of both inflammatory markers and antioxidant balance suggests cactus pear fruit as a novel and beneficial component to be incorporated into current healthy dietary habits.

Fermenting blended fruits has been used to improve fruit wine quality. Cactus pear and Lantana camara fruits have well-known nutritive and health benefits. The purpose of this study was to investigate cactus wine quality improvement by applying response surface optimization method of cactus pear and Lantana camara fruits juice fermentation process. Wine quality responses were optimized at an experimental strategy developed using central composite rotatory design by varying fermentation process variable temperature, inoculum, and Lantana camara fruit juice concentration for six days. The developed fermentation models were significant (p < 0.01) to predict alcohol, total phenol content, and sensory property of the final wine accurately. From the statistics calculations, fermentation temperature of 24.8°C, inoculum concentration 10.16% (v/v), and Lantana camara fruit juice concentration of 10.66% (v/v) were the overall optimum values to produce cactus pear fruit wine with alcohol 9.53 ± 0.84% (v/v), total phenol content 651.6 ± 54 (mg L−1 equivalent to gallic acid), and sensory value of 8.83 ± 0.29. The Lantana camara fruit juice concentration added had shown significant (p < 0.05) enhancement on total phenol content and sensory values of the final wine. The results can be used for large-scale wine production in order to reduce its postharvest losses.

Toxic oxysterols in a hypercholesterolaemia-relevant proportion cause suicidal death of human erythrocytes or eryptosis. This process proceeds through early production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), release of prostaglandin (PGE2) and opening of PGE2-dependent Ca channels, membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) externalisation, and cell shrinkage. The present study was the first to reveal that a bioavailable phytochemical, indicaxanthin (Ind) from cactus pear fruit, in a concentration range (1.0-5.0 μM) consistent with its plasma level after a fruit meal, prevents PS externalisation and cell shrinkage in a dose-dependent manner when incubated with isolated healthy human erythrocytes exposed to an oxysterol mixture for 48 h. Dietary Ind inhibited ROS production, glutathione (GSH) depletion, PGE2 release and Ca2+ entry. Ind alone did not modify the erythrocyte redox environment or affect other parameters. Ex vivo spiking of normal human blood with the oxysterol mixture for 48 h induced eryptosis, resulting in the production of ROS and decreased levels of GSH, which was prevented by concurrent exposure to 5 μm-Ind. The adherence of eryptotic erythrocytes to the endothelium causes vascular tissue injury. Erythrocytes isolated from blood incubated with the oxysterol mixture plus 5 μm-Ind did not adhere to endothelial cell monolayers. Eryptotic erythrocytes may contribute to thrombotic complications in hypercholesterolaemia. Our findings suggest the positive effects of diets containing Ind on erythrocytes in hypercholesterolaemic subjects.

Objective To investigate the effects of the water-soluble extract from cactus pear fruit (CPFWE) on differentiation of obsteoblasts. Methods Rat osteoblasts were isolated as an in vitro model. MTT assay was used to evaluate the growth and proliferation of rat osteoblasts. The spectrophotometer was used to determine alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content. By alizarin red staining, bone nodule formation was observed. Results In the middle stage of differentiation, CPFWE observably stimulated ALP activity and Hyp content in osteoblasts. Especially, CPFWE increased the ALP activity by (57.748±4.071)% at the concentration of 50.000 μg/ml for 9 days and Hyp content by (26.444±0.990)% at the concentration of 25.000 μg/ml for 22 days as compared with the control group. In the later stage, the CPFWE significantly increased the area of nodules by (43.840±1.200)% at 50.000 μg/ml concentration and increased IOD by (48.241±1.760)% at 6.250 μg/ml for 18 days. Conclusion The effects of CPFWE on bone formation by rat osteoblasts suggest that these phenolics may have beneficial effects on bone health. Key words: Cactus pear fruit; Water-soluble extract; Osteoblast cell; Bone formation

Cactus pear fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) has a chemical composition that renders it an attractive substrate for wine fermentation. However, there have been serious post-harvest losses of cactus fruit due to its short shelf life. This study aims to investigate wine production from cactus pear fruit juice by optimizing fermentation temperature, pH, and inoculum concentration (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to obtain optimum quality-indicative responses. Response surface methodology coupled with central composite rotatable design was adopted in the present study to achieve optimized fermentation process conditions. The fermentation process was carried out for 6 days with varied input variables, and all the models showed significant p-values for interaction of variance (<0.05). Cactus pear fruit wine with a total acidity of 12.39 ± 1.32 g/L equivalent to tartaric acid (TTAE), alcohol content of 9 ± 0.31%, v/v, total antioxidant concentration of 235.3 ± 9.15 mg/L AAE (Ascorbic acid equivalent), and sensory acceptance of 7.74 ± 0.34 was produced at an optimized temperature of 30 °C, pH of 3.9, and inoculum concentration of 16%. The developed models could predict the quality of wine developed from cactus pear fruit.

The flours obtained from several co-products like lemon (Citrus lemon) or cactus pear fruit (Opuntia indica) contains a wide range of bioactive compounds mainly dietary fiber and polyphenolic compounds. In this work, the bioaccessibility of polyphenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids) present in the flours obtained from lemon (LF) and cactus pear (CPF) was tested by the application of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of samples was performed according to the method described by Mills et al. (2008) while the bioaccessibility of polyphenolic compounds was determined following the indications of Ortega et al. (2011). The bioaccessibility index of phenolic acids present in LF and CPF, at the end of intestinal digestion, were 18.25 and 46.53%, respectively with statistical differences (p<0.05) between them. The bioaccessibility of flavonoid compounds in LF and CPF, at the end of intestinal digestion, was 13.94 and 11.32% respectively, with statistical differences (p<0.05) between them. These values suggest that several changes in phenolic and flavonoid compounds like modification of chemical structure, increased or reduced solubility or interaction with other compounds might happen during the gastrointestinal digestion of co-product flours, which influence the bioaccessibility as mentioned Gullon et al. (2015).

Cactus pear fruits are rich sources of nutritional (essential vitamins, amino acids and minerals) and antioxidant compounds (flavonoids, carotenes, betalains, ascorbic acid and quercetin). The fruit is cultivated for fresh markets and also serves as nutraceutical and functional food, finding application in various forms such as juice, jam, wine, syrup and in dairy products. However, short postharvest life and negative perception has contributed to its underutilization in the local context. Total titratable acidity (TTA) and total soluble solids (TSS) are among the desirable attributes used to assess postharvest quality of Cactus pears. A portable near-infrared spectrometer (NIRS) can non-destructively determine the internal quality of Cactus pears’ thus reducing postharvest losses. This study evaluated the potential of a handheld NIRS coupled with chemometrics of partial least square regression (PLSR) for rapid, non-destructive, and simultaneous determination of TTA and TSS in intact Cactus pear fruits. Cactus pears at different stages of maturity were sampled from Laikipia county, in Kenya, and immediately subjected to spectral data acquisition and wet-chemistry analyses. The PLSR was used to train and validate predictive models for the determination of TTA and TSS content in intact Cactus pears. The prediction model for TTA gave an R-squared (R2) of 0.73, root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.28% citric acid, and residual predictive deviation (RPD) of 1.97. Additionally, the TSS model resulted in R2 of 0.75, RMSEP of 1.60° Brix, and RPD of 2.06. Overall, these findings highlight the effectiveness of NIRS in non-destructive measurement of TTA and TSS levels in whole Cactus pears. However, with further refinement and optimization of these models, the full potential of this technique for swift and precise assessment of these parameters in whole Cactus pears can be realized. This would greatly benefit farmers and processors by reducing expenses associated with quality assessment and facilitating market entry of Cactus pear derived food products.

The influence of postharvest heat conditioning at 38 °C for 24, 48, or 72 hours on ripe `Gialla' cactus pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller] fruit produced by the spring flush was investigated during 21 days of storage at 6 °C and 90%-95% relative humidity (RH) followed by 7 days at 20 °C and 70%-75% RH (simulated marketing). Conditioning for 24 to 72 h reduced by 50% the severity of chilling injury (CI) on cactus pears following exposure to cold storage. Treatment for 24 to 72 h was also effective in reducing decay, with conditioning for 24 h being the most effective. Overall visual quality was better in heat-conditioned compared with control fruit. Mass loss was significantly reduced by all heat conditioning treatments. Respiration rate was not affected by heat treatment. Ethylene evolution was lower in fruit heat-conditioned for 48 or 72 h than for 0 h. Conditioning for 72 h resulted in the highest fruit ethanol levels. The influence of conditioning on juice pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids concentration and ascorbic acid was negligible. Prestorage heat treatment provides some measure of CI and decay control without detrimental effects to visual quality of early ripening cactus pear fruit and may offer an alternative to fungicide treatments.

Asynchronous ripening behavior of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) cultivars with respect to physicochemical and physiological attributes

Objectives : In this study, the anti-stress effects of ethanolic extract of Opuntiaficus-indica (OF70E) were investigated.Methods : To determine the effects of OF70E on physical stress, changes in whole-body cortisol level or behavior were monitored in zebrafish. After treatment with 0.9% saline or OF70E for 6 min, all fish underwent net handling stress (NHS), which induced physical stress. And t hen, we conducted open field test (OFT) or sacrificed fish for collecting body fluid from whole-body. We u sed the cortisol enzyme-linked immunoassay kit to measure the amount of cortisol in each zebrafish sample.Results : In result, compared with normal group which were not treated b y NHS, whole-body cortisol levels were significantly increased in stressed-control group. Compare d with control group, pretreatment with OF70E at concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 mg/L for 6min significantly inhibited the increase of whole-body cortisol levels induced by NHS(p<0.05). To anti-stress effects of OF70E on behavior, we conducted OFT after the induction of NHS following pretreatment of OF70E. As results of OFT, compared with unstressed-normal group, distance moved was significantly decreased by induction of NHS in stressed-control group ( p<0.05). OF70E-pretreatment blocked decreases of distance moved increased by NHS (p<0.05). And meandering movement, immobility and turn angle were significantly increase d by NHS in stressed-control group compared with unstressed-normal group (p<0.05). OF70E-pretreatment prevented the increases of meanderin g movement immobility and turn angle by NHS (p<0.05).Conclusions : In conclusion these results suggest that OF70E-pretreatment may prevent stress responses.Key words : Net handling stress, Zebrafish, Opuntiaficus-indica, Whole-body cortisol, Open field test

Effects of ultrasound treatment in purple cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) juice

The lipid profile was determined in selected ecotypes of Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica), and this research focused on the antioxidant properties of seeds from Cactus pear fruits. Using the methodology of methyl esters the composition of fatty acids of seeds was determined and in the case of antioxidant properties the known technique of Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) was used. The trolox evaluation assay was applied in aqueous - organic extracts and their residues. The seed oil composition of cactus pear fruits was studied at harvest time. Linoleic acid (70.03%) was the dominant fatty acid, followed by oleic acid (20.11%) and palmitic acid (11.86%), respectively. Among cactus pear seeds, polyphenols contribution to antioxidant properties ranged from 37.9% to 42% for TEAC values. According to the results, the seeds of Cactus pear are a good source of useful lipids and antioxidants.