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Published on: June 16, 2018
Effect of cooking process on the structure and composition of cladodes (Opuntia ficus-indica)
Madeleine Perucini-Avendaño1, Mayra Nicolás-García2, María de Jesús Perea-Flores3
1Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Wilfrido Massieu S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Delegación Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738 Ciudad de México, Mexico; Programa de Investigación y Posgrado en Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas S/N, Col. Centro, Santiago de Querétaro, C. P. 76010 Querétaro, Mexico.
Abstract:
Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) is one of the main food resources cultivated by man due to its high nutritional value. Therefore, this study evaluates how the cooking process modifies the composition and microstructure properties of cladodes by comparing raw nopal cladode (RNC) versus cooked nopal cladode (CNC). Cooking significantly reduced protein (13.74 to 13.36 g/100 g) and lipid contents (5.80 to 4.94 g/100 g). There were significant changes in color, as decreases in lightness and chroma, reflecting chlorophyll loss and tissue softening. Total Phenol Content (TPC) differed significantly between treatments, with values of 302 ± 3 mg GAE/g in RNC, and 239 ± 1 mg GAE/g in CNC. UPLC-ESI-MS analysis identified 20 phenolic compounds; notable decreases were observed for caffeic acid (182.08 m/z) and piscidic acid (258.27 m/z). Microscopy revealed cell-wall disruption, increased intercellular spaces, and changes in calcium oxalate crystal distribution and density after cooking. The present findings improve the understanding of how cooking-induced chemical and microstructural changes affect the composition and phenolic behavior of nopal cladodes. These results provide mechanistic information on cooking-induced chemical and microstructural changes in nopal cladodes, which may support future studies focused on processing optimization.
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