Extraction and Physicochemical Characterization of Dried Powder Mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica Cladodes and Aloe Vera Leaves: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Cactaceae and Asphodelaceae are native desert plants known for their high mucilage content, which is a polysaccharide of growing interest in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, powdered mucilage was obtained from cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) and aloe vera (AV) leaves, and their molecular, morphological, and thermal properties were investigated and compared. Additionally, their dietary fiber content was determined. Three-dimensional molecular models were calculated for both mucilages using ab initio methods. Vibrational spectra (FTIR and Raman) revealed intramolecular interactions and functional groups that were specified with the help of theoretical ab initio and semi-empirical calculations. SEM micrographs measured at magnifications of 500× and 2000× demonstrated significantly different superficial and internal morphologies between these two mucilages. Thermal analysis using DSC/TGA demonstrated superior thermal stability for the OFI mucilage. The dietary fiber content in OFI mucilage was more than double that of AV mucilage. Our results show that both dehydrated mucilages present adequate thermal and nutritional properties to be used as functional ingredients in industrial formulations; however, OFI mucilage exhibited better physicochemical and functional characteristics than AV mucilage as a raw material.

The Renaissance of Plant Mucilage in Health Promotion and Industrial Applications: A Review

“…To obtain the pure pulp, the leaves should be peeled, washed, and pressed. Methods of extraction include separation of the pulp from the leaf peel, filtration, centrifugation or gel squeezing, heating steps, and the use of organic solvents (ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide) [204][205][206]. In order to minimize the decomposition of polysaccharides under high temperature, Liu et al analyzed the optimal ultrasonic extraction conditions without reducing the activity of the compounds.…”

Characterization and Topical Study of Aloe Vera Hydrogel on Wound-Healing Process

“…Furthermore, the signals at 2966 and 1450 cm −1 are reported for the tension of the aliphatic C-H bonds and are present in triethanolamine and propanediol. On the other hand, the absorptions at 982, 918, and 835 cm −1 seem to be mainly related to the presence of propanediol and correspond to stretching of the C-H bond in methyl and methylenes [62,63].…”

“…The peaks at 2930 and 2874 cm −1 were attributed to the symmetric and asymmetric stretching of the aliphatic C-H bonds of the methylene groups (CH 2 ), which are also present in the product components. The signals at 1700 and 1563 cm −1 were associated with the stretching of the carbonyl group (C=O) and the carboxylate group (COO − ), respectively [62]. Additionally, the signals at 1278 and 1235 cm −1 have been ascribed to the bending of the glycosidic bond and stretching of the acetyl groups.…”

“…The Aloe vera gel itself consists of a large number of components; therefore, the signals observed in Figure 2 will be discussed based on the reported literature, mainly taking into account the signals for the gel, propanediol and triethanolamine. The absorption at 3290 cm −1 is attributed to the presence of the various OH groups contained in the polysaccharide structure of the gel, propanediol and TEA [62,63]. The peaks at 2930 and 2874 cm −1 were attributed to the symmetric and asymmetric stretching of the aliphatic C-H bonds of the methylene groups (CH 2 ), which are also present in the product components.…”

“…presence of propanediol and correspond to stretching of the C-H bond in methyl and methylenes [62,63].…”