Physicochemical properties of wild grown prickly pear fruits (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Yemen

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate the physical and chemical properties of prickly pear fruits. Prickly pear fruit samples were collected from local markets in Dhamar, Yemen. The results showed that the mean weight of prickly pear fruits was 89.27 g, while the pulp, peel, seeds, and extracted juice weights were 47.57, 40.96, 3.52, and 37.07 g, respectively. The weight percentages of pulp, peel, seeds, and extracted juice were 53.72, 45.38, 3.79, and 34.85% of the fruit's weight, respectively. The chemical properties of prickly pear juice were: 86.83% moisture, 12.75 ˚brix total soluble solids, 13.17% total solids, 11.78% total sugars, 7.86% reducing sugar, 3.90% non-reducing sugar, 6.07 pH, 0.09% total acidity, and 28.41 mg/100 mL ascorbic acid content. The ˚brix/acidity ratio in prickly pear pulp extract was 178.87. These findings indicated that the prickly pear fruits that grow wild in Yemen possessed the majority of the desirable physicochemical properties, such as high soluble solids, low acidity, and a low seed content percentage, which make them marketable and exportable.