<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals

Imen Belhadj Slimen; Taha Najar; Manef Abderrabba

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals

Imen Belhadj Slimen, Taha Najar, Manef Abderrabba

Published in Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 6)

Received: 19 November 2016 Accepted: 30 November 2016 Published: 23 December 2016

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Abstract

Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.

Published in	Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
Page(s)	162-169
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Opuntia ficus-indica, Cladodes, Antioxidants, Polyphenols, Betalains

References

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Imen Belhadj Slimen, Taha Najar, Manef Abderrabba. (2016). Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 4(6), 162-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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ACS Style

Imen Belhadj Slimen; Taha Najar; Manef Abderrabba. Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2016, 4(6), 162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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AMA Style

Imen Belhadj Slimen, Taha Najar, Manef Abderrabba. Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. J Food Nutr Sci. 2016;4(6):162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14,
  author = {Imen Belhadj Slimen and Taha Najar and Manef Abderrabba},
  title = {Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals},
  journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
  volume = {4},
  number = {6},
  pages = {162-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20160406.14},
  abstract = {Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals
AU  - Imen Belhadj Slimen
AU  - Taha Najar
AU  - Manef Abderrabba
Y1  - 2016/12/23
PY  - 2016
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DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
SP  - 162
EP  - 169
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7293
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
AB  - Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.
VL  - 4
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Imen Belhadj Slimen

Department of Animal, Food and Halieutic Resources, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, Mahragen City, Tunisia; Laboratory of Materials, Molecules and Applications, Preparatory Institute for Scientific and Technical Studies, La Marsa, Tunisia
Taha Najar

Department of Animal, Food and Halieutic Resources, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, Mahragen City, Tunisia; Laboratory of Materials, Molecules and Applications, Preparatory Institute for Scientific and Technical Studies, La Marsa, Tunisia
Manef Abderrabba

Laboratory of Materials, Molecules and Applications, Preparatory Institute for Scientific and Technical Studies, La Marsa, Tunisia

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Imen Belhadj Slimen, Taha Najar, Manef Abderrabba. (2016). Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 4(6), 162-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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ACS Style

Imen Belhadj Slimen; Taha Najar; Manef Abderrabba. Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2016, 4(6), 162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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AMA Style

Imen Belhadj Slimen, Taha Najar, Manef Abderrabba. Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals. J Food Nutr Sci. 2016;4(6):162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14

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@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14,
  author = {Imen Belhadj Slimen and Taha Najar and Manef Abderrabba},
  title = {Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals},
  journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
  volume = {4},
  number = {6},
  pages = {162-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20160406.14},
  abstract = {Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.},
 year = {2016}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals
AU  - Imen Belhadj Slimen
AU  - Taha Najar
AU  - Manef Abderrabba
Y1  - 2016/12/23
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
SP  - 162
EP  - 169
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7293
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20160406.14
AB  - Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.
VL  - 4
IS  - 6
ER  -

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