Green Techniques to Boost Antioxidant Extraction from Red Prickly Pear Peels - Natural Science News
Key Findings
- The study by Universidad Nacional de Moquegua focused on optimizing antioxidant extraction from red peel prickly pear using Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE)
- PLE with pure water at 70°C yielded the highest antioxidant concentrations, achieving 12.96 mg GAE/g dw, an IC50 of 2.03 mg/mL, and an ORAC value of 625 µmol TE/g dw
- UAE with 30% ethanol at 50°C was also effective, yielding 10.52 mg GAE/g dw, an IC50 of 3.09 mg/mL, and an ORAC value of 561.26 µmol TE/g dw
Standard procedure developed for processing spiny cactus pear into livestock fodder - Bloemfontein Courant
Prof HO de Waal, researcher in the Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), has developed a standard procedure for the processing of spiny cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) into livestock fodder.
Civil society: flourishing opuntia? - Benjamin Dalli - Times of Malta
The opuntia ficus-indica may have originated several time zones away, yet the prickly pear, an alien species, found itself pasted on the emblem of Malta for over a decade. To the reckless passer-by, the cactus is a threat. For the wiser rambler, it can be a summertime treat.
Common cactus could be used to clean water - Phys.org
(PhysOrg.com) -- Access to clean drinking water is lacking in many parts of the world but most technologies to clean water to make it fit for drinking are expensive and hard to maintain. Now researchers propose a cactus common around the world could be used to provide a cheap and easy solution.
Invasive prickly pear - Times of Malta
The term "endemic species" generally refers to species which occur within a defined area. Therefore, species which are endemic to Malta can only be found within the Maltese islands. The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is not endemic. In fact, it is not even of Maltese origin and had been introduced for its edible fruit. At present, it is also used as fodder and as a windbreak, sheltering other crops in fields.
Contrary to what Mr Camilleri claimed, Mepa recognises that the prickly pear is an important crop plant and that it is a characteristic of the Maltese landscape.