Chemical, biochemical, and fatty acids composition of seeds of Opuntia boldinghii Britton et Rose

Resumen

Opuntia boldinghii Britton and Rose, is a Cactaceae distributed in Venezuelan semiarid and coastal
regions. In this research, the proximate composition showed: moisture 7.66%; ethereal extract 5.53
g/100g; protein (N x 6.25) 2.89 g/100g; total ash 2.53 g/100g; crude fiber 16.26 g/100g. Minerals
determined were: calcium 0.59 mg/100g; phosphorus 24.93 mg/100g; potassium 2.80 mg/100g; iron
1.34 mg/100g. Total carotenoids value was 0.92 mg/100 and vitamin C concentration was 4.15 mg
ascorbic acid/100g. Caloric value was calculated at 349.07 Kcal. Antinutritional factors present
were: total tannins 0.33%; condensed tannins 0.08% of leucocyanidin equivalent; trypsin inhibitors
units 25.26 mg pure inhibited trypsin/g and non-detected saponins. Fatty acids profile showed:
linoleic 67.20%; oleic 18.00%; palmitic 10.40%; stearic 3.00%; palmitoleic 0.50%. In vitro protein
digestibility was 28.15%. In conclusion, O. boldinghii seeds are an important source of natural fiber
and, given its high linoleic acid content, its oils can be used as a nutraceutic agent.