Functional Components and Medicinal Properties of Cactus Products

Certain countries have the privilege of diverse ecosystems that allow access to wide food availability. This fact carries an intrinsic diversity in bioactive compounds such as phytochemicals, especially polyphenols.The aim of this review is to summarize the advances in polyphenols research which have been conducted in Chile, with a focus on polyphenol-rich foods and health-related outcomes. In the first part, several studies that have analyzed food sources rich in polyphenols are presented. This is followed by a description of in vitro and in vivo studies from Chile that have evaluated the polyphenol compounds of Chilean foods or their extracts along with their biological activity or health effects. Most polyphenol studies in our search have an in vitro experimental design where mainly protective activities are tested. The antioxidant effect is remarkable in all studies. As well as discussing the future direction of dietary assessment and the approach to biomarkers in this field, currently, additional emphasis and research investment are necessary to explore more native foods with an added value.

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“…[116] , cactus prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) [117] , copao (Eulychnia acida Phil.) [118,119] , algarrobo (Prosopis spp.)…”

Section: Fruits Vegetables and Other Food Sourcesunclassified

Advances in Polyphenol Research from Chile: A Literature Review

Lanuza

Zamora-Ros

Petermann‐Rocha

et al. 2021

Food Reviews International

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“…On the other hand, ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that plays beneficial roles in preserving bones, generating blood vessels, and maintaining healthy skin. Prickly pear fruits exhibit an ascorbic acid content of 20 to 40 mg/100 g fresh weight [7], such content is higher than that found in apples, pears, grapes, and bananas [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wounding and UVB Light Synergistically Induce the Biosynthesis of Phenolic Compounds and Ascorbic Acid in Red Prickly Pears (Opuntia ficus-indica cv. Rojo Vigor)

Ortega‐Hernández

Nair

Welti‐Chanes

et al. 2019

IJMS

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The present study evaluated the effects of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and wounding stress, applied alone or combined, on the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid in the peel and pulp of red prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica cv. Rojo Vigor). Whole and wounded-fruit samples were treated with UVB radiation (6.4 W·m−2) for 0 and 15 min, and stored for 24 h at 16 °C. Phytochemical analyses were performed separately in the peel and pulp. The highest phenolic accumulation occurred after storage of the whole tissue treated with UVB, where the main phenolic compounds accumulated in the peel and pulp were quercetin, sinapic acid, kaempferol, rosmarinic acid, and sinapoyl malate, showing increases of 709.8%, 570.2%, 442.8%, 439.9%, and 186.2%, respectively, as compared with the control before storage. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity was increased after storage of the whole and wounded tissue treated with UVB light, and this increase in PAL activity was associated to phenolic accumulation. On the other hand, l-galactono-γ-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH) activity and ascorbic acid biosynthesis was enhanced due to UVB radiation, and the effect was increased when UVB was applied in the wounded tissue showing 125.1% and 94.1% higher vitamin C content after storage when compared with the control. Respiration rate was increased due to wounding stress, whereas ethylene production was increased by wounding and UVB radiation in prickly pears. Results allowed the generation of a physiological model explaining the UVB and wound-induced accumulation of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid in prickly pears, where wounding facilitates UVB to access the underlying tissue and enhances an apparent synergistic response.

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