Opuntia vulgaris

With the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, dyeing with cochineal came to Europe in 1530 (Fig. 2.20). The dyestuff was obtained from the American cochineal scale insect Dactylopius coccus Costa), which had already been bred in a big way by the Aztecs on cactus plants (Opuntia monacantha, Opuntia vulgaris and Nopalea cochenillifera). Due to the higher yield of dyestuff, cochineal displaced kermes almost completely. In the heyday of cochineal production, around 1870, the Canary Islands annually exported 3,000 tonnes of cochineal (Fig. 2.21). 

Stintzing, F.C., Schieber, A., and Carle, R., Identification of betalains from yellow beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, J. Agric. Food Chem., 50, 2302, 2002. 

As for anthocyanins, betalains are found in vacuoles and cytosols of plant cells. From the various natural sources of betalains, beetroot (Beta vulgaris) and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) are the only edible sources of these compounds. In the food industry, betalains are less commonly used as natural colorants from plant sources than anthocyanins and carotenoids, probably related to their more restricted distribution in nature. To date, red beetroot is the only betalain source exploited for use as a natural food coloring agent. The major betalain in red beetroot is betanin (or betanidin 5-0-P-glucoside). Prickly pear fruits contain mainly (purple-red) betanin and (yellow-orange) indicaxanthin and the color of these fruits is directly related to the betanin-to-indicaxanthin ratio (99 to 1, 1 to 8, and 2 to 1, respectively in white, yellow, and red fruits)." ... 

The betalains are confined to ten families of the order Caryophyllales20 The only foods containing betalains are red beet (Beta vulgaris), chard (B. vulgaris), cactus fruit (Opuntia ficus-indica) and pokeberries (Phytolacca americana). They also occur in the poisonous mushroom Amanita muscaria but this is not a normal food source. The importance of the betalains as colorants is confined to preparations from red beet. 

American cochineal. Insect (female) living on the host plant Nopa-lea coccinellifera (L.) SALM-DYCK (torch- or fig-thistle, "nopal plant"), besides on Opuntia monacantha O.TUNA, 0.vulgaris MILL, non auct. mult., and Pe(i)reskia aculeata MILL. 

Dry masa flours are currently being supplemented with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and cactus (Opuntia spp.) flour. Both beans and cactus flours are rich sources of dietary fiber. The green-colored cactus supplemented tortillas, rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, are mainly consumed by diabetic and hyper-cholesterolemic people to lower glycemic index and blood cholesterol. 

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