Emerging Natural Hydrocolloids

17 Opuntia ficus‐indica Mucilage

Elnaz Salehi Zahra Emam‐Djomeh Morteza Fathi and Gholamreza Askari

Department of Food Science, Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Transfer Phenomena Laboratory (TPL), College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, 31587‐11167 Karadj, Iran

17.1 Introduction

Opuntia ficus‐indica (Figure 17.1) is a widely used plant from the kingdom of Plantae, order of Caryophyllales and family of Cactaceae, genus of Opuntia, and species of indica [1]. Opuntia is a local plant of different environments. It grows in various dry and semi‐dry countries such as Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, the United States, Spain, Italy, Israel, Iran, and South Africa [2]. Even this kind of cactus is cultivated in Angola, Australia, India, and Canada because Opuntia ficus‐indica has the capability to adapt to various environmental conditions. It can harvest in the fields of Mexico, where the temperature is above 5 °C, and also in Canada, where temperatures drop to −40 °C in winter [3]. In Table 17.1, the applications of Opuntia in different countries are summarized [4].

Figure 17.1 Opuntia ficus‐indica: (a) cladode, and (b) fruit (Guilan province, north of Iran).

Table 17.1 Production and uses of cactus plants and fruits in selected countries. ...