Prickly Pear Fruit and Cladodes - Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology - page 301

Table 13.2 Organic Acid Composition (mg/100 g
Fresh Weight) of Opuntia spp. Cladodes in the
Morning and Evening.
Organic acid a

The fruit is characterized by a high sugar content (12-17%)
and low acidity (0.03-0.12%), with a small amount of
vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin, lysine, trypto-
phan and methionine, and fairly rich in calcium and phos-
phorous (Table 13.1). Titratable acid content is higher in
the peel than in the pulp, and the pulp contains very low
acid content at all stages of development (Guevara & Yahia
2005). Total pectin content in “white” prickly pear fruit
is commonly very low in the pulp and does not change
very much. Fruit colour varies from lime green, yellow,
orange and red to purple (Inglese et al . 1995; Felker &
Inglese 2003). Cactus fruit are rich sources of yellow-
orange betaxanthins and red-violet betacyanins (Stinzing
et al . 2003, 2005; Castellar et al . 2003; Odoux &
Dominguez-Lopez 1996). Stinzing et al . (2005) have iden-
tified five different betaxanthins and six betacyanins struc-
tures in different Opuntia coloured fruits. The ratio and
concentration of betalains were responsible for the yellow,
orange, red and purple colours in coloured clones of
O. ficus-indica and O. robusta (Stinzing et al . 2005). The
main yellow betalain of all clones was praline-betaxanthin,
which is considered as the typical compound of cactus pear
(Stinzing et al . 2001, 2002). Cactus pear fruit have been
suggested as a promising source of red and yellow food
colorants for use at neutral pH (Stinzing et al . 2001, 2003).
Cladodes are used in various pharmaceutical applica-
tions for their therapeutic, dermatological and medical
properties. Experimental evidence showed that prickly
pear cactus cladodes could decrease blood glucose levels
(Frati 1992). The intake of broiled Opuntia stems for 10
days improved glucose control in a small group of adults
with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)
(Frati et al . 1990a). The increase of serum glucose levels
which follow the intake of a sugar load (oral glucose
tolerance test) was lower with previous ingestion of
Opuntia stems compared to if the sugar is ingested alone
(Frati et al . 1990b). In patients with NIDDM, the ingestion
of some species of cladodes ( Opuntia streptacantha ,
O.ficusindica ) in fasting condition is generally followed
by a decrease of serum glucose and serum insulin levels
(Frati 1992). Experimental evidence demonstrated that
the ingestion of some species of cladodes ( Opuntia strep-
tacantha , O. ficus-indica ) could decrease both blood
glucose and blood lipid levels in patients with NIDDM
(Frati et al . 1983). Opuntia stems administered to diabetic,
obese and healthy volunteers, caused a decrease of serum
levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL-
cholesterol, and body weight also decreased in obese
subjects, while HDL-cholesterol did not change and the
'atherogenic index' improved (Frati et al . 1983; Fernandez

6 a.m. 6 p.m.

Oxalic acid 35 35

Malic acid 985 95

Citric acid 178 31

Malonic acid 36 Trace

Succinic acid Trace Trace

Tartaric acid Trace Trace

a Total oxalic acid including soluble and insoluble, dry
weight basis
Source: McConn and Nakata (2004), and Teles et al .
(1994).

composition of fruit and cladodes vary depending on
species, cultural practices and weather conditions, age of
the plant and stage of development at harvest.
The composition of cladodes including the effect of time
of day are shown in Tables 13.1 and 13.2. Generally, they
are low in calories, high in fibre and contain proteins
(Retamal et al . 1987), some minerals, vitamin C, and
β-carotenes, sugars (Muñoz de Chavez et al . 1995), organic
acids such as citric, malonic, and traces of tartaric and suc-
cinic (Teles et al . 1984; 1994) and piscidic and phorbic
acids (Teles 1984, 1994). Younger cladodes commonly
have higher carbohydrates, protein and water content.
Amino acid profile of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes
showed the presence of 18 compounds (Stintzing & Carle
2005). Proteins and fibres usually decrease by age of the
plant (Stintzing & Carle 2005). Carotenoid profiles showed
the presence of β-carotene, α-cryptoxanthin, and lutein
(Jaramillo-Flores et al . 2003), and total phenolic content
was about 8-9 mg/100g (Jaramillo-Flores et al . 2003).
Fertilization low in nitrogen usually leads to an increase in
crude protein content, and phosphorous supplementation
with 112 kg/ha improved the low phosphate content of the
cladodes (Pimienta-Barrios 1990). Potassium is the main
mineral, followed by calcium, sodium, and iron (Muñoz de
Chavez et al . 1995). Based on their composition pattern,
cladodes are judged more nutritive than lettuce, but less
than spinach (Retamal et al . 1987). Lysine, methionine and
tryptophane contents in cladodes were reported to be
higher than in most cereals (Muñoz de Chavez et al . 1995).
The weight of a typical commercial cactus fruit of
O. ficus-indica ranges from 120 to 200 g, with 45-60% of
the fruit being edible, yielding juice of 12° to 15° Brix.