Overview
Creates multidisciplinary forum of discussion on Opuntia cactus with special emphasis on its horticulture, post-harvest, marketability, chemistry, functionality, health-promoting properties, technology and processing
Discusses impact of traditional and innovative processing on the recovery of high-added value compounds from Opuntia spp. by-products
Explores potential applications of Opuntia spp. in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products
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Table of contents (50 chapters)
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Front Matter
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General Aspects
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Front Matter
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Opuntia Metabolism, Biodiversity, Species and Cultivars
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Front Matter
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Chemistry, Functionality and Health-Promoting Properties of Opuntia spp.
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Front Matter
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Keywords
About this book
The Opuntia fruits, commonly known as cactus pears or prickly pears, have been suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization to be a promising and strategic crop in regions suffering from lack of water. In Mexico, India, South Africa, and the Mediterranean, the Opuntia fruits have become popular due to their nutritive value and health-promoting benefits, including antioxidant, antiulcerogenic and antiatherogenic traits and protective effects against LDL oxidation. Additionally, readily absorbable sugars, high vitamin C and mineral content, and a pleasant flavour make Opuntia tailor-made for novel foods.
Due to their ecological advantages, high functional value, and health-related traits, Opuntia fruits can be highly exploited in different food processing applications. For instance, Opuntia cactus fruits are used for the preparation of juices and marmalades; Opuntia cactus plants are used to feed animals in African and Latin American countries; Peruvian farmers cultivate Opuntia cactus for growing the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) insect and producing the natural dye carmine; and the commercial production of food and non-food products from Opuntia has been established in Mexico, USA and several Mediterranean countries.
Opuntia spp.: Chemistry, Bioactivity and Industrial Applications creates a multidisciplinary forum of discussion on Opuntia cactus with special emphasis on its horticulture, post-harvest, marketability, chemistry, functionality, health-promoting properties, technology and processing. The text includes detailed discussion of the impact of traditional and innovative processing on the recovery of high-added value compounds from Opuntia spp. by-products. Later chapters explore the potential applications of Opuntia spp. in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan is a Professor in the Agricultural Biochemistry Department at Zagazig University in Zagazig, Egypt. He has published more than 250 research papers and reviews in international peer-reviewed journals, as well as several books and book chapters.
Tamer E. Moussa Ayoub is a Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Egypt.
Sascha Rohn is a Professor in Institute of Food Technology and Food Chemistry in Technische Universität Berlin in Berlin, Germany.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Opuntia spp.: Chemistry, Bioactivity and Industrial Applications
Editors: Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan, Tamer E. Moussa Ayoub, Sascha Rohn
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-78443-0Published: 27 September 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-78446-1Published: 28 September 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-78444-7Published: 27 September 2021
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 1059
Number of Illustrations: 52 b/w illustrations, 46 illustrations in colour
Topics: Plant Sciences, Food Science