Utilización del nopal en la industria alimentaria para la elaboración de alimentos funcionales.

Abstract

The Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a cactus belonging to the Opuntia genus present in arid and semi-arid areas with a wide geographical distribution. At the industry level, it is of great importance since it can be used for food production, so the objective of the work was to carry out a search and bibliographic review about its use in the Food Industry for the production of functional foods. As a new alternative, nopal flour is obtained through a dehydration process. Thanks to its nutritional composition, it is considered a good food product, presenting a high content of fiber and bioactive compounds. The average content of dietary fiber is 46.72%. It also has a high content of phenolic compounds, with an average of 18 compounds between phenolics and flavonoids. Many functional properties have been described, in which its antioxidant and hypoglycemic power stand out, showing that its consumption reduces cholesterol and glucose levels in people, preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Within the Industry it is considered as a potential resource and can be used for the elaboration of a wide range of foods such as powdered drinks, energy bars and pastry products which make them functional products thanks to the contribution of dietary fiber 13.88% that they have. On the part of consumers there is a positive acceptance of products made with nopal flour. The use of flour is recommended in other types of products such as dairy, meat and juices, in order to increase the content of dietary fiber in its nutritional composition.