Effect of air flow rate on the polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of convective dried cactus pear cladodes (Opuntia ficus indica)

Abstract

The interest in nopal has encouraged the use of dehydration; there are few studies about the effect of process parameters on the nopal polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of air-drying flow rates on the amount and antioxidant capacity of extracts of Opuntia ficus indica cladodes. Nopal was dried at 45 degrees C and air flow rates of 3 and 5 m/sec. Samples were analyzed for moisture, total polyphenol, flavonoid, and flavonol contents, chain-breaking activity, inhibition of low-density lipoprotein and deoxyribose oxidation. Nopal drying at an air flow rate of 3 m/sec showed higher values of phenols, flavonoids and flavonols. The best value of low-density lipoprotein inhibition and deoxyribose was found at 1,000 microg/ml. The air flow rate affected the amount of polyphenols and the OH( . ) radical scavenging, but did not modify the chain-breaking activity and the low-density lipoprotein inhibition activity.

The optimization of phenolic compounds extraction from cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) skin in a reflux system using response surface methodology

“…Later a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the conditions of extraction in a SAS software (SAS 9.0) and the plots were made in a Statistica 7 software. The response function (Y) was portioned into linear, quadratic and interactive components and the experimental data were fitted to the second order regression equation (4). Table 1 shows the experimental matrix with the 12 applied treatments.…”

“…Natural antioxidants obtained from plants included carotenoids, phenolic compounds and polyphenolic compounds. There is evidence that these compounds can exert their antioxidant functions in human health [4] . Some researchers suggest that the main content of antioxidants in plants is in the skin of the fruit where they…”

Nopal Cactus (Opuntia Ficus-Indica) as a Holographic Material

“…The Nopal, which is highly nutritional, has in its chemical composition a large variety of molecular specie, which varies in number of molecules per species, caused by the aging of the samples [32,33,34,35]. Among the most important organic species detected in samples are: carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat, and ash [32,33,34,35].…”

“…Among the most important organic species detected in samples are: carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat, and ash [32,33,34,35]. Its most important mineral species include: phosphorus, manganese, iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium [32,36,37].…”

Effect of operating conditions in freeze-drying on the nutritional properties of blueberries

“…Cooking may change the chemical composition of fruits (Ree et al 2009); blanching affects the polyphenol content (Amin et al 2006), and the drying conditions influence the phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of fruits (Gallegos-Infante et al 2009). Besides, the drying temperature negatively affects the ascorbic acid content in vegetables (Mrkìc et al 2006).…”