Chemical Analysis of Nutritional Content of Prickly Pads (Opuntia ficus indica) at Varied Ages in an Organic Harvest

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Margarita I. Hernández-Urbiola¹  Esther Pérez-Torrero² 

[1] Posgrado en Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, P.O. Box 1–1010, Querétaro, Qro, 76230, México; E-Mail:;Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Valle de México, Campus Querétaro, Querétaro, Qro, 76230, México

关键词: different maturity stages;    powder;    nutritional content;    Opuntia;    prickly pads;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph8051287

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Opuntia ficus indica, also known as prickly pads, are an important part of the human diet and are also used as forage for livestock. This is an interesting vegetable due the environmental conditions in which it grows and its resistance to climatic extremes; however, little is known about its nutritional properties, especially in the later stages of maturity. The objective of this study was to determine the composition of organic prickly pads (Opuntia ficus indica) at differing stages of growth maturity. Chemical proximate analysis and mineral constituent analysis at different maturation stages were carried out in this investigation. As a result, older prickly pads were found to be an important source of nutritional components such as calcium.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.