Processing and utilization of fruit, cladodes and seeds

Abstract

A Sicilian writer once called cactus pear "a treasure under the thorns" because of its immense benefits, some of which were little known before today. In many countries − Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, South Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Ethiopia, Eritrea and other countries in South America and the Mediterranean Basin − it is traditionally the cactus pear fruit that is eaten. In Mexico, on the other hand, in addition to the fruit, the tender cladodes (nopalitos) are consumed. However, both fruit and nopalitos are perishable and processing technologies are needed to increase their shelf-life. Moreover, both fruits and cladodes contain numerous bioactive compounds which must be preserved during processing if consumers are to reap the full benefits. Cactus pear is a multipurpose fruit and a wide range of products and by-products can be derived from it. The same applies for the cladodes. Sáenz et al. (eds, 2006, 2013) present numerous alternatives for processing fruits and cladodes. The recent advances in this field are presented in this chapter.