Influence of pad/water ratio on Opuntia ficus indica mucilage extraction

TORRES, CAROLA ANALÍA; PÉREZ ZAMORA, CRISTINA MARISEL; NUÑEZ, MARÍA BEATRIZ; GONZALEZ, ANA MARÍA

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Congreso; VIII International Phytocosmetics and Phytotherapy Congress; 2018

International Society for Phytocosmetic Science

Background:Opuntia mucilage is a complex carbohydrate with a high capacity to absorb water. For this reason, it could be used as a gelling agent in cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical formulations. There are several methods for the extraction of this mucilage. One of the most commonly used methods is the combination of cold water with ethanol. However, yields vary depending on the age of the cladodium, the extraction process, the cladodium/water and mucilage/solvent ratio, extraction time and temperature, pH and humidity of the cladodes. The aim of this work was to determine the most appropriate method considering as variable the relationships between pad/water.Material & Methods:The cladodes were collected during the morning. The spines were removed, then the cladodes were washed and disinfected. The cladodes were cut into small squares and placed in a blender with water at 40 °C. The ratio pad: water was 1:3 (M1), 1:6 (M2) and 1:9 (M3). The blended product was placed in a thermostated bath at 75 °C for one hour. The liquid was then filtered. The filtrate was placed in an oven at 70 °C to reduce the volume. Subsequently, the mucilage was precipitated with ethanol (ratio 1:3). Finally, the precipitated was placed in an oven at 70 °C until dryness. The extraction yield was calculated in each case and also the color parameters (L*, a*, b*) were determined using a spectrocolorimeter. The chroma (c*) and the angle value (h*) were calculated according to Sepulveda et al (2007). ANOVA followed by Tukey?s post-hoc test was used to detect the treatment differences.Result:The results showed a yield of more than 1% in all cases. The best ratios for the extraction were 1:3 and 1:6, because there were no significant differences between these treatments. However, the lowest C*ab value of M2 indicates a lower color purity, while its higher L* value indicates greater luminosity. The tone angle (h*) is located in the area of the chromatic diagram corresponding to the yellow-green tones. Therefore, for the products obtained, the best color properties are presented by M2, with greater clarity, lower purity of color and a tonality less brown.Discussion & Conclusion:On the basis of these first results, the best cladodium-water ratio would be 1:6. However, in future research the temperature/time conditions for the extraction should be addressed, since this could probably lead to an increase in the mucilage yield