Prickly pear, Opuntia

Butera, D. et al.. Antioxidant activities of Sicilian prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) fruit extracts and reducing properties of its betalains betanin and indicaxanthin, J. 

Brutsch MO. 1990. Some lesser-known uses of the prickly pear < Opuntia spp.). Proceedings of Transkei and Ciskei Research Society Conference. 

Fernandez LM, Lin ECK, Trejo A and McNamara DJ. 1992. Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) pectin reverses low density lipoprotein receptor suppression induced by a hypercholesterolemic diet in Guinea Pigs. J Nutt 122 2330-2340. 

Forni E, Polesello A, Montefiori D and Maestrelli A. 1992. A high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the pigments of blood-red prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica). J Chromatogr 593 177-183. 

RP-HPLC has been applied for the determination of betalain pigments in various plants too. The researches were motivated by the commercial importance of betalain pigments as natural food colourants. An RP-HPLC method was developed for the measurement of betalain pigments in prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruits. 

Gurrieri, S. Miceli, L. Lanza, C. M. Tomaselli, E Bonomo, R. R Rizzarelli, E. Chemical Characterization of Sicilian Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indicd) and Perspectives for the Storage of Its Juice. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2000, 48, 5424-5431. 

Fernandez, M.L., Lin, E.C., Trejo, A., and McNamara, DJ. 1994. Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) pectin alters hepatic cholesterol metabolism without affecting cholesterol absorption in guinea pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet. J. Nutr. 124, 817-824. 

Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus indica, Cactaceae)... 

Indicaxanthin a yellow betaxanthine itom the prickly pear (Opuntia ficusindica). I. is the best known representative of the betaxanthines. It differs from betanin by replacement of the c clodopa residue by L-proline. 

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)." ... 

Cactus Extract. A biodemulsifier has been developed that is based on a cactus extract, an activator for the cactus extract, and a carrier liquid. The cactus extract is made from the leaves and stems of the prickly pear or Opuntia family of cactus [1021]. The leaves and stems of the cactus are brought to a... 

Opuntia imbricata (Haw.) DC. [umdodlofiya, prickly pear] (Cataceae) root bark infusion is used for chest pain. The root bark contains anthranoids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and steroids (15). 

Prickly pear (thorn) Opuntia spp 3 Demnatitis, cellulitis... 

In the mid-1800s, a prickly pear cactus Opuntia stricta) was introduced to Australia as an ornamental plant, but, as with many other introduced plants, escaped cultivation and became established in the wild (Molles, 1999). The plant spread quickly, and covered over 20 million hectares by the... 

Food-drug interactions Prickly pears Prickly pears or cactus fruit Opuntia, Cactaceae) may reduce blood glucose concentrations, especially when it is processed [65" ]. 

Opuntia (Cactaceae prickly pear cactus, nopal, nopales)... 

Opuntia (cactus fruit, prickly pear) and glipizide, 696 oseltamivir and sotalol, 305 oxcarbazepine and clarithromycin, 107, 409 oxcarbazepine and phen5ftoin, 109... 

Lira-Ortiz, A. L., Resendiz-Vega, E, Rios-Leal, E., Contreras-Esquivel, J. C., Chavarria-Hernandez, N., Vargas-Torres, A, and Rodriguez-Hernandez, A. I. (2014). Pectins from waste of prickly pear fruits (Opuntia albicarpa Scheinvar "Reyna") Chemical and rheological properties. Food HydrocoIIoids, 37(0), 93-99. 

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