Solar air drying for innovative Opuntia ficus-indica cladode dehydration

Abstract

Providing a case study of general applicability in all world's semi-arid regions where the plant is increasingly harvested, we describe the use and outcomes of solar air heating and ventilation coupled to a conventional kiln to dehydrate Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes. For the first time, the dried cladodes and the ground dehydrated ‘Nopal’ cladodes retain their natural green-yellow color. New applications to functionalize foodstuff and to formulate nutraceutical, personal care and cosmetic products of even higher efficacy and broader scope are anticipated.

The Effect of Cladode Drying Techniques on the Prebiotic Potential and Molecular Characteristics of the Mucilage Extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia joconostle

“…Convection drying is the preferred method for commercial production of Opuntia powder, both for pharmaceutical and food uses, as it is the most economical method; this is especially true if it is done on a solar drier, which additionally is optimally suited to the dry, hot regions where Opuntia spp. grows [46]. The disadvantage of this technique is that it can bring thermal degradation and so change the quality profile of the cladodes, especially the quality of the mucilage.…”

Toward unfolding the bioeconomy of nopal (Opuntia spp.)

“…Providing a case study that is generally applicable in all the world's semi‐arid regions where the plant is increasingly harvested, scholars in Italy recently reported the successful use of solar air heating and ventilation to dehydrate Opuntia ficus‐indica cladodes . The dehydrated cladodes and the ground nopal cladodes dried in this way retain their natural green‐yellow color (Fig.…”

Italy's nutraceutical industry: a process and bioeconomy perspective into a key area of the global economy

“…Several other green chemistry technologies applied to circular economy processes have been developed to produce valued ingredients for the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and personal care industries. Examples range from the use of solar energy to the extraction of valued essential oils, pectin, and polyphenols from waste orange peel, and nopal from Opuntia ficus‐indica cladodes, through to the solvent‐free microwave extraction of valued components of officinal plants …”

“…29 Several other green chemistry technologies applied to circular economy processes have been developed to produce valued ingredients for the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and personal care industries. Examples range from the use of solar energy to the extraction of valued essential oils, pectin, and polyphenols from waste orange peel, 30 and nopal from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes, 31 through to the solvent-free microwave extraction of valued components of officinal plants. 32 Showing further evidence of this ongoing change, a leading researcher in the fine chemical and vitamin industry (whose company supplies nutraceutical ingredients to companies across the world) noted in his 2018 account on vitamins and nutraceuticals from the perspective of process research that there were three 'general trends' concerning the large-scale preparation of vitamins, nutraceuticals, and fine chemicals: (i) the shift from stoichiometric to catalytic protocols, (ii) the shift from batch to continuous processes, and (iii) the use of bio-based raw materials in place of petroleum-derived materials to access key building blocks.…”