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has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Opuntia ficus-indica Pruning Waste Recycling: Recovery and Characterization of Mucilage from Cladodes

  AUTHORS: Silvia Procacci, Emanuel Bojórquez-Quintal, Giovambattista Platamone, Oliviero Maccioni, Vania Lo Vecchio, Vincenzo Morreale, Chiara Alisi, Roberto Balducchi, Loretta Bacchetta

  KEYWORDS: Natural Hydrocolloid, Opuntia ficus-indica (L) Mill., DART-MS Analysis, Chemical Analysis, Mucilage Extraction, Cladodes

  JOURNAL NAME: Natural Resources, Vol.12 No.4, April 20, 2021

  ABSTRACT: The present work focuses on the proximate physical and chemical profile of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage, mechanically extracted from cladodes, a waste of pruning in traditional organic cactus pear orchards in Italy (San Cono, Sicily). The mechanical extraction increased the mucilage yield to 30% dry weight. Physical characterization concerns pH, viscosity, free acidity and density, useful for emulsifying capacity. Spectrophotometric analysis was applied to assess total carbohydrates, proteins, uronic acids, total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity. DART-MS and SEM-EDX were performed to evaluate functional mucilage components and relative amounts of minerals, respectively. From the main results Opuntia ficus-indica by-product, in addition to the preponderant total carbohydrates content, shows the high concentration in calcium and potassium and a fair amount of health-promoting phytochemicals, which make it a good candidate for the different type of industrial applications.