Molecules, Vol. 25, Pages 5734: Characterization of Bioactive Compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Seeds from Spanish Cultivars

Molecules, Vol. 25, Pages 5734: Characterization of Bioactive Compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Seeds from Spanish Cultivars Molecules doi: 10.3390/molecules25235734 Authors: Joanna Kolniak-Ostek Agnieszka Kita Joanna Miedzianka Lucia Andreu-Coll Pilar Legua Francisca Hernandez Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world. It can be used for medicinal purposes, animal nutrition, production of biofuels and phytoremediation of soils. Due to its high content of bioactive compounds, the prickly pear has antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to determine the polyphenolic, fatty acid and amino acid profile and characterize the antioxidant capacity of seeds of seven Spanish prickly pear cultivars. A total of 21 metabolites, mainly phenolic acids and flavonols, were identified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography photodiode detector quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS). Significant differences were found in the phenolic concentrations of the investigated varieties. The highest amount of phenolic compounds (266.67 mg/kg dry matter) were found in the “Nopal espinoso” variety, while the “Fresa” variety was characterized by the lowest content (34.07 mg/kg DM) of these compounds. In vitro antioxidant capacity was positively correlated with the amount of polyphenols. The ...
Source: Molecules - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research