TY - JOUR
T1 - The Effect of Cladode Drying Techniques on the Prebiotic Potential and Molecular Characteristics of the Mucilage Extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia joconostle
AU - Cruz-Rubio, José Manuel
AU - Mueller, Monika
AU - Loeppert, Renate
AU - Viernstein, Helmut
AU - Praznik, Werner
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2020/10/2
Y1 - 2020/10/2
N2 - The dry, powdered cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica are often-used in over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical formulations. Gentle drying techniques, such as lyophilization and vacuum drying are compared with convection drying for the cladodes and also compared with another species of economic importance, Opuntia joconostle. The heteropolysaccharide purified from the mucilage extracted from the dried powders were investigated in their monosaccharide composition (HPAEC-PAD, TLC), mineral and protein content, molecular dimensions (SEC) and fermentability by probiotic bacteria (Bioscreen technique) for evaluation of the prebiotic potential of the mucilage. The heteropolysaccharide is composed of galactose, arabinose, xylose, galacturonic acid and rhamnose. O. ficus-indica includes an additional 13% of glucose coming from an α-glucan. The content of Ca (0.3%) and Mg (0.4%) is relatively low in both species; the content of protein adds up to 1.5% in O. ficus-indica but is significantly lower in O. joconostle with 0.8%. The average molecular mass Mw of the extracted mucilage ranges from 3.7 to 4.7 × 105 g∙mol−1 for both species; only the mucilage from long-time convection drying (C2) delivers a lower average Mw of 2.6 × 105 g∙mol−1, due to partial breakdown of the mucilage matrix. All tested probiotic strains utilized the mucilage to some extent; C2 being the most active, and thus confirms the prebiotic potential of cladode’s powder and its derived products. In general, the molecular dimensions and prebiotic potential are not extremely sensitive to the drying treatment, yet temperature and drying time can modify the cladode’s powder to a profile with better prebiotic characteristics.
AB - The dry, powdered cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica are often-used in over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical formulations. Gentle drying techniques, such as lyophilization and vacuum drying are compared with convection drying for the cladodes and also compared with another species of economic importance, Opuntia joconostle. The heteropolysaccharide purified from the mucilage extracted from the dried powders were investigated in their monosaccharide composition (HPAEC-PAD, TLC), mineral and protein content, molecular dimensions (SEC) and fermentability by probiotic bacteria (Bioscreen technique) for evaluation of the prebiotic potential of the mucilage. The heteropolysaccharide is composed of galactose, arabinose, xylose, galacturonic acid and rhamnose. O. ficus-indica includes an additional 13% of glucose coming from an α-glucan. The content of Ca (0.3%) and Mg (0.4%) is relatively low in both species; the content of protein adds up to 1.5% in O. ficus-indica but is significantly lower in O. joconostle with 0.8%. The average molecular mass Mw of the extracted mucilage ranges from 3.7 to 4.7 × 105 g∙mol−1 for both species; only the mucilage from long-time convection drying (C2) delivers a lower average Mw of 2.6 × 105 g∙mol−1, due to partial breakdown of the mucilage matrix. All tested probiotic strains utilized the mucilage to some extent; C2 being the most active, and thus confirms the prebiotic potential of cladode’s powder and its derived products. In general, the molecular dimensions and prebiotic potential are not extremely sensitive to the drying treatment, yet temperature and drying time can modify the cladode’s powder to a profile with better prebiotic characteristics.
KW - ANTIOXIDANT
KW - CACTACEAE
KW - CACTUS
KW - CULTIVARS
KW - DIETARY FIBER
KW - DIVERSITY
KW - IN-VITRO
KW - ORIGINS
KW - POLYSACCHARIDES
KW - RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
KW - dietary fiber
KW - gastrointestinal microbiome
KW - heteropolysaccharides
KW - nopal
KW - prebiotic substances
KW - size exclusion chromatography (SEC)
KW - Nopal
KW - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC)
KW - Heteropolysaccharides
KW - Gastrointestinal microbiome
KW - Dietary fiber
KW - Prebiotic substances
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092039596&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/scipharm88040043
DO - 10.3390/scipharm88040043
M3 - Article
SN - 0036-8709
VL - 88
JO - Scientia Pharmaceutica
JF - Scientia Pharmaceutica
IS - 4
M1 - 43
ER -