Utilization of Prickly Pear Wastes

Cactus pear (Opuntia Ficus-Indica) is a member of the Cactaceae family. Cactus pear fruit consists of peel, seeds and pulp. The peel is a major waste in cactus pear pulp based products accounting about 37.72% of the fruit weight. Cactus pear fruit (Opuntia Ficus-Indica) have a great interest because of their nutritional and antioxidant properties mainly due to the presence of vitamins, fibers, minerals and poly phenols. The using of agro-industrial as a by-products containing nutritional value to produce a new food additives or supplements. Cactus fruit contains substantial amounts of ascorbic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, fibers, amino acids and antioxidant compounds which have been put forward to account for its health benefits such as hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic action, and antioxidant properties. Nowadays, consumers prefer healthy foods, a diet that is low in calories, cholesterol and fat but rich in fiber content, despite the health impacts, dietary fiber is associated with a resistant to digestive enzymes such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin, lignin, gums. Cactus fruits and its wastes are used for the manufacture of food products such as juices, alcoholic beverage.