Search results for " cladode"

Quality, functional and sensory evaluation of pasta fortified with extracts from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes

2019

Background The stems of Opuntia ficus-indica, known as cladodes, are a rich source of soluble fibers, which makes them an important candidate for the production of functional foods. Tagliatelle of durum wheat fortified with Opuntia cladode extract (OCE) at different levels of addition (10-30%, v/w) was prepared on a laboratory scale and quality characteristics and sensory acceptability were assessed. Results The main quality parameters (optimal cooking time, swelling index, cooking loss, dry matter) and sensory analysis on a nine-point hedonic scale were comparable with those of the control pasta sample (no added OCE) when durum wheat was supplemented with OCE at up to 20% (v/w). An in vitr…

Life Cycle Impact Assessment applied to cactus pear crop production for generating bioenergy and biofertiliser

2020

Among the potential uses of cactus pear, the generation of bioenergy (biogas) and biofertiliser (digestate), from the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of cladodes and fruits, is surveyed in this paper. Data for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was drawn from a farm located in Roccapalumba (Palermo, Sicily, Italy), where three cultivars were cultivated: 1) yellow pulp cultivar; 2) red pulp cultivar; 3) white pulp cultivar. LCIA was applied to six scenarios: 1) current dry crop; 2) current irrigated crop; 3) dry crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 4) irrigated crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 5) dry crop for bioenergy production; 6) irrigated crop for bioenergy production. According t…

Survival, morphological variability, and performance of Opuntia ficus-indica in a semi-arid region of India

2022

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) can survive extreme environmental condition and is known for its fodder potential in many parts of the world. The morphological diversity of 15 introduced accessions was evaluated at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The plants were established in 2013. Survival and nutrient status were evaluated after two years. Above-ground plant height, biomass, primary and secondary cladode numbers, primary and secondary cladode lengths and below-ground root length, weight, and surface area measurements were done six years after cladode planting. Yellow San Cono, White Roccapalumba, and Seedless Roccapalumba survived 100%. The discriminant traits according to pr…

THE EFFECT OF ROOTS CONFINEMENT ON THE RELATIVE GROWTH OF ROOTS AND CANOPY OF OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA

Summary The influence of soil volume on roots and canopy growth performance of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) was studied at Palermo University. In November 2014, 1-year-old Opuntia ficusindica cladodes were planted in five different volumes of soil 50, 33, 18, 9 and 5 Liters. Three replicates (plants) per pot size were dug out at 6 and 12, 18 and 24 month intervals, thus in total, there were 5 x 3 x 4= 60 experimental plots. The resulting experimental design was a completely randomized design with combinations of two factors, soil volume and month of the sampling, with three replications. Roots of each plant were washed and visually divided into three groups depending on their diameter…

Opuntia cladodes as functional ingredient in durum wheat bread: rheological, sensory, and chemical characterization

2021

Cladodes are considered by-products of Opuntia ficus-indica cultivation. Their addition as source of antioxidants to durum wheat breads could have effects on preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and inflammation. The inclusion of 0-5-10-15% cladodes, harvested in three different locations, on quality and antioxidant properties of fortified durum wheat breads has been evaluated. The enrichment with 10% of cladodes resulted in an increase in the content of total phenolics (14.8 vs 2.7 mg GAE/100 g of control bread), a decrease of IC50 (3.28 vs 49.7 mg/ml of control bread), good rheological characteristics of loaves and largely positive evaluation by panel test. Fortification with 15% …