Physicochemical characterization of four varieties of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.)

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the physicochemical properties in the pulp of four varieties of prickly pear cactus collected in three localities belonging to the municipality of Salinas, San Luis Potosí.

Design/methodology/approach: in 15 fruits of each variety were recorded: fruit size, equatorial and polar diameter, total fruit fresh biomass, peel and locule. From each variety, nine fruits were used (each fruit a replicate) to analyze: moisture, ash, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity and total soluble sugars.

Results: the physical differences of the fruits, total fresh weight, equatorial and polar diameter, correspond to the characteristics of each variety, where the largest fruits were in descending order: Cristalina, Fafayuca, Naranjona and Cardona. The highest percentage of moisture (87.34 %) was reported in Cristalina. The varieties Fafayuca from La Reforma and Naranjona from Salinas de Hidalgo had the highest and lowest concentration of total soluble sugars (25.84 and 11.46 g 100 g-1 MF, respectively). The fruits analyzed had a titratable acidity of 0.01 to 0.03 % citric acid and total soluble solids of 11.60 to 15.84 °Brix.

Study limitations/implications: Harvesting was done based on farmers' visual parameters.

Findings/conclusions: fruit harvested from self-consumption backyard orchards (< 500 m) had the highest fruit weight. The amount of total soluble solids and total soluble sugars per variety was variable among locations, indicating that the harvesting criteria adopted by growers differed among locations.