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Chemical characterization, extraction optimization and antioxidative potential assessment of prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica from Croatia

Opuntia (Opuntia ficus-indica), or prickly pear, thrives in regions with mild winters, relatively low humidity, and a variety of soils. Native to the Americas, it is now found worldwide in zones of arid and Mediterranean climate. As an invasive species, it presents a promising target in agriculture as it is very robust, needs minimal growing cost, resulting in a high yield of fruits per plant, and has very few threats from pests and diseases. Fruits can be used for human nutrition, while the cladodes have recently been considered for animal fodder. Opuntia can also be used for the production of bioethanol and bioplastics and as an affordable approach to erosion control. Red beet and prickly pear contain the highest amounts of betalains, and are the only approved sources of betalains as colorings for the food industry. Chemical characterization of prickly pear fruit and seeds from the coastal part of Croatia was studied in terms of total betalains, total polyphenols, antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, total sugar, and reducing sugar content. The second aim of this study was to extract bioactive components from opuntia seeds by conventional solvent extraction and high-power ultrasound-assisted extraction. Extraction efficiency for selected components was compared and a two-factor Box-Behnken response surface methodology was implemented in extraction optimization. Extraction of treated and untreated seed samples was performed in various timeframes with water, 10%, 25%, and 50% ethanol. The largest yield of total phenolics was obtained with samples that were treated for 20 min, using 50% amplitude in 50% ethanol solution. Antioxidant activity increased with ethanol ratio while being highly dependent on the extraction time. Highest antioxidant activity is noticed with 50% ethanol as solvent. The ultrasound-aided extraction method has shown higher antioxidant activity of the samples, as compared to the samples that were subjected to the conventional extraction method.

Opuntia ficus-indica ; antioxidant activity ; ultrasound ; extraction optimization ; experimental design

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