Comprehensive Characterization and Volatile Profile of Cactus Pear Fruits from Six Different Species and Cultivars

Abstract

The aim of this study was to carry out a comprehensive characterization of volatile and nonvolatile compounds of six different colored Opuntia fruits, four Opuntia ficus-indica fruits (purple, orange, pink, and white pulp), one Opuntia robusta fruit (purple pulp), and one Opuntia maxima fruit (yellow pulp). Phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and color were directly related to the betanin content, regardless of the species or cultivar. The volatile profile of the fruits was composed of 55 volatile compounds. The six-carbon (C 6 ) compounds, hexanol, hexanal, (E)-2-hexenol, and (E)-2-hexanal, were found to be dominant and common in all the fruits. Opuntia f icus-indica white and Opuntia robusta showed the highest amount of esters. O. robusta was the variety with the highest terpenic content followed by O. f icus-indica purple. PCA showed strong influence of (E, Z)-2,6-nonadienol, on the differentiation of the cultivars. A great aromatic diversity among different cactus pear species and cultivars was found, and it was determined how these can be related to the physical-chemical characteristics of the fruits.

Interactions of Opuntia ficus-indica with Dactylopius coccus and D. opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) through the Study of Their Volatile Compounds

“…The volatilomes of the Esmeralda and Rojo Pelón cultivars were different before and after Dactylopius infestation. The variation in compound production in cladodes of both cultivars prior to infestation (by Dactylopius) may be specific to each cultivar, as variations of other bioactive and volatile compounds have been reported in different cultivars of O. ficus-indica [31,35,47]. However, variation in the number and abundance of VOCs within each cultivar after infestation can be attributed to D. coccus or D. opuntiae feeding on its corresponding cultivar host, as has been demonstrated in other plants where the change in production of VOCs, particularly terpenes and sesquiterpenes, was directly associated with phytophagous insect feeding [23,24,48,49].…”

Interactions of Opuntia ficus-indica with Dactylopius coccus and D. opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) through the Study of Their Volatile Compounds

“…The volatilome of Esmeralda and Rojo Pelón cultivars were different before and after Dactylopius infestation. The variation in compound production in cladodes of both cultivars prior to infestation (by Dactylopius) may be specific to each cultivar, as variations of other bioactive and volatile compounds have been reported in different cultivars of O. ficus-indica [30,34,47]. However, variation in the number and abundance of VOCs within each cultivar after infestation can be attributed to D. coccus or D. opuntiae feeding on its corresponding cultivar host, as has been demonstrated in other plants where the change in production of VOCs, particularly terpenes and sesquiterpenes, was directly associated with phytophagous insect feeding [23,24,48,49].…”

“…A field that is continuously growing with the development of analytical and data processing methods [29]. In this regard, some research has been carried out on VOCs of O. ficus-indica emanating from cladodes, flowers, fruits, and the oils of its seeds [30][31][32][33][34][35]. These studies concluded that VOCs composition is a function of the geographical area, species or cultivar, plant structure, state of development and season, among other factors.…”

An overview and update on the chemical composition and potential health benefits of Opuntia ficus‐indica (L.) Miller

“…Highest betacyanins contents were reported in purple cultivars, while the highest betaxanthin contents were detected in red and yellow cultivars (de Wit et al, 2020; García‐Cayuela et al, 2019; Koss‐Mikołajczyk et al, 2019). The OFI fruit color, antioxidant activity, and phenolic content were found to be directly related to the concentration of betanin (Apablaza et al, 2021).…”

“…Germacrene D was the main component in flowers followed by 1‐hexanol, n‐tetradecane, and decanal among 18 volatile compounds reported using GC‐MS (De Leo et al, 2010). Fifty five volatile compounds were reported in different colored fruits pulp with dominance of the six‐carbon (C6) compounds, hexanol, hexanal, ( E )‐2‐hexenol, and ( E )‐2‐hexanal using solid‐phase microextraction (SPME)‐GC‐MS (Apablaza et al, 2021). Thirty five volatile compounds were reported by Andreu‐Coll et al (2020) using headspace solid‐phase microextraction, GC‐MS, and GC‐FID in the fruit pulp from different Spanish cultivars with the predominance of nonanol, 2,6‐nonadienal, 1‐hexanol, 2‐hexenal, and D‐limonene.…”