Comparative study of conventional and combined ultrasound-assisted methods on the quality of mucilage extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2024-08, Vol.214, p.118566, Article 118566
• Main Authors: Mannai, Faten, Elhleli, Hanedi, Ben Mosbah, Mongi, Khiari, Ramzi, Nacer, Salah Neghmouche, Belgacem, Mohamed Naceur, Moussaoui, Younes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical and Process Engineering; Chemical Sciences; Emulsion; Engineering Sciences; Mucilage; Opuntia ficus-indica; Polysaccharide; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.118566

Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage is a renewable source of hydrocolloid carbohydrates with a high added value suitable for food and other industrial applications. The purpose of this research is to investigate the efficiency of mucilage extraction as an interesting emulsifying agent using the conventional one-step method versus the combined conventional and ultrasound-assisted extractions. The yield extraction of mucilage through conventional and combined methods from cooked cladodes was 19 ± 0.5 % and 22.8± 2.4 %, respectively. It was shown by the ATR-FTIR, XRD, and TGA spectra that mucilages have a carbohydrate structure, an amourphous appearance, and good thermal stability in some temperature ranges. All mucilage hydrocolloid solutions show non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior in terms of viscosity. The zeta potential of emulsions stabilized with mucilage fractions ranged from 22.1±1.2 to 34.6± 1.7 mV. Ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with the conventional method is a green technology to extract mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes with properties that can be used as a natural emulsifying agent for stable emulsions. •Ultrasound extraction method considered as a green technology to extract mucilage.•Opuntia ficus-indica mucilages are thermally stable.•The flow of mucilage solutions revealed the pseudo-plastic share-thinning behavior.•The challenges of using Opuntia ficus-indica mucilages as an emulsifier are proven.