![]() ![]() It is estimated that the consumption per capita is only around 3.7 kg/year, since it is a seasonal fruit and is only available a few months per year. The main producing regions in Mexico are the southern region (Puebla and Oaxaca), the central region (Estado de Mexico and Hidalgo) and the north-central region (Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas). In Mexico, an area of 48,000 ha is dedicated to its cultivation, in which 352,000 tons by year are produced, through the participation of around 20,000 producers. However, Mexico is the main producer worldwide and cactus pear cultivation is considered highly profitable, because in optimal conditions, the production is 40 tons per hectare by year. There are some countries where there is significant production of this fruit, such as Italy, which is the most important producer in the Mediterranean area, and on the African continent, it is produced in the Cape region and in South Africa in countries such as Israel, Chile and Argentina, it is produced on a small scale and it is also possible to find it in some plantations in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Spain, Greece and Turkey. CPP has many bio-active compounds that may provide health benefits and may also be useful in pharmaceutical, food and manufacturing industries however, greater research is needed in order to gain thorough knowledge of the possibilities of this by-product.Ĭactus pear is the fruit of the nopal cactus, is native to the arid and semi-arid regions of Mexico and Mesoamerica and has spread to many regions This fruit is commonly known as cactus pera fruit, prickly pear, tuna (Mexico), higo (Colombia) higo chumbo (Spain), fico d’India, figue de barbarie (France), among others. The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the current research on CPP. ![]() Some uses of the peel have been reported as a food additives, food supplements, as a source of pectins and for wastewater treatment however, there have not been any deep investigations of the characteristics and potential uses of the cactus pear peel (CPP). Several studies mainly focus on the characteristics of the edible portion or in the whole fruit, ignoring by-products such as peels, which are rich in compounds such as phenols, flavonoids and dietary fiber they have also been proposed as an alternative source of lipids, carbohydrates and natural colorants. The whole fruit can be divided into the edible portion (pulp) and the non-edible portion (seeds and peel). Residues of popularly consumed fruits such as orange, lemon, banana, pomegranate, among others, have been widely described and studied however, cactus pear ( Opuntia spp.) residues, as a locally consumed product, have been forgotten. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in the exploitation of by-products from fruits and vegetables, generated from industrial processing or human feeding. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |