Abstract :
[en] Objectives: The chemical composition of cactus pear seed oil (Opuntia ficus-indica [L.]
Mill.) was analyzed in terms of its fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, phenolic
identification, and the oil’s phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined.
Methods: Fatty acid profiling was performed by gas chromatography coupled to an FI detector. Tocopherols and phenolic compounds were analyzed by LC-FLD/UV, and the oil’s
phenolic-rich fraction antioxidant power was determined by phosphomolybdenum, DPPH
assay and β-carotene bleaching test.
Results: Fatty acid composition was marked by a high unsaturation level (83.22 ± 0.34%).
The predominant fatty acid was linoleic acid (66.79 ± 0.78%), followed by oleic acid
(15.16 ± 0.42%) and palmitic acid (12.70 ± 0.03%). The main tocopherol was γ-tocopherol
(172.59 ± 7.59 mg/kg. In addition, Tyrosol, vanillic acid, vanillin, ferulic acid, pinoresinol,
and cinnamic acid were identified as phenolic compounds in the analyzed seed oil.
Moreover, the oil’s phenolics-rich fraction showed a significant total antioxidant activity,
scavenged DPPH up to 97.85%, and effectively protected β-carotene against bleaching
(97.56%).
Conclusion: The results support the potential use of cactus pear seed oil as a functional
food.
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