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Chemical and nutritional composition of copao fruit (Eulychnia acida Phil.) under three environmental conditions in the Coquimbo Region
Abstract
Copao (Eulychnia acida Phil.) is an endemic arborescent cactus restricted mainly to the semi-arid Coquimbo Region (29°54′28″ S, 71°15′15″ W), Chile. The area of distribution is from sea level to 1200 m.a.s.l. The edible fruit called rumpa is generally round, with green or pink peel and small scales on its surface, showing wide variability in size and weight. The aim of this work was to characterize the rumpa harvested in January 2009 and 2010 in three sectors of Coquimbo Region to determine chemical and nutritional composition in three fractions: pulp with seeds, juice, and peel. The research showed that this fruit is a good natural source of mainly soluble dietary fiber, which has a jellied texture and is present in the three fractions analyzed: 2% for juice, 3% for pulp with seeds, and approximately 5% for peel, making it potentially a good source of hydrocolloids for the food industry. The fruit is also a good source of vitamin C; around 55 mg 100 g-1 in peel, and 30 mg 100 g-1 in pulp with seeds and juice, values considered high compared to 18 mg 100 g-1 for prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica [L.] Mill.) The main minerals were: K, Mg, Ca, and P. Total polyphenols and betalain pigments were also determined in the pulp with seeds and pink peel fractions, respectively. The nutritional characteristics, together with its high water content of around 96%, make rumpa a promising raw material for agro-industrial development of natural juices or isotonic drinks. This characterization helps in the recovery of an endemic native species by reducing potential threats to destroy wild populations of E. acid, especially near agricultural areas, and by promoting habitat conservation of the species in the region.
... Over 140 species and subspecies of cacti grow in the Chilean territory, of which 45% are endemic (Walter and Guerrero, 2022 , but only the fruit of this last one has been fully characterized regarding its chemical and functional properties (Masson et al., 2011). ...
... The pulp represents 62.0 6.3% of the fruit's fresh weight and contains numerous seeds ( Figures 1B and 1C). This fruit is like that of Eulychnia acida, but it weighs three times more and has a higher percentage of pulp, according to data provided by Masson et al. (2011). ...
... The pH of the pulp was 2.6 ± 0.01; acidity 2.2 ± 0.02 g citric acid 100 g -1 ; soluble solids, 2.3 ± 0.1 °Brix; and with a soluble solid/acidity ratio of 1.0. The fruit of C. brevistylus is higher in acidity than Eulychnia acida (Masson et al., 2011). The pH and acidity of this fruit are comparable with that of 'Eureka' lemon, according to the data provided by Martí et al. (2009). ...
Cacti are plants native to the Americas, characterized for their numerous nutritional and functional values, their multiple uses, and their unique morphology and physiology, which allow them to grow and thrive under dry environments with extreme temperatures and in poor soils. Climate Change is imposing great challenges on research and development in agriculture to maintain productivity using sustainable production systems to cope with human population increases. Several strategies are currently being developed to cope with this problem, being domesticating of new species one strategy, particularly if one uses native cacti species. Chile is particularly rich in endemic cacti species. After studying fruit and ethnobotanical characteristics six species were selected for further studies: Corryocactus brevistylus vernacular named “rumba”; Leucostele atacamensis “pasacana”; Airampoa ayrampo “ayrampo”; Browningia candelaris “sabaya”; Eulychnia iquiquensis, “copao de Iquique”; and Haageocereus chilensis “tunilla” which are native cactus species distributed mainly, but not exclusively, in Northern Chile. Their fruits are edible with functional properties or can be used as natural food colorants, characteristics that makes them suitable for domestication. Fruits of C. brevistylus, H. chilensis and L. atacamensis can be consumed fresh, with L. atacamensis having a very high antioxidant capacity. Airampoa ayrampo, on the other hand, has potential as a natural red-purple food colorant. This work shows specific analytical data related to the proportion of pulp in the fruit of these species, and the presence of functional compounds with antioxidant capacity, such as vitamin C and phenolics compounds.
... Bioactive compounds can be found in fresh and dried plant material, including leaves, stems, roots, seeds, and fruits [52,53]. Many active ingredients are simple to detect and isolate, while others, as part of complex mixtures, are difficult to analyze and therefore determine the active compound, as is the case with many essential oils or resinous substances [54][55][56][57][58]. An example of the difficulty in extracting and isolating the active ingredients from a complex extract is purifying desacylsaponins and obtaining pentacyclic triterpenes such as quillaic acid from quillai saponins [54]. ...
... Some of these significant bioactive phytochemicals are shown in Figure 1. functional foods or supplements [57,58]. Secondary metabolites are grouped into terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids, among other classifications, according to the type of genin or aglycone [59]. ...
Medicinal plants have been used since prehistoric times and continue to treat several diseases as a fundamental part of the healing process. Inflammation is a condition characterized by redness, pain, and swelling. This process is a hard response by living tissue to any injury. Furthermore, inflammation is produced by various diseases such as rheumatic and immune-mediated conditions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes. Hence, anti-inflammatory-based treatments could emerge as a novel and exciting approach to treating these diseases. Medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, and this review introduces various native Chilean plants whose anti-inflammatory effects have been evaluated in experimental studies. Fragaria chiloensis, Ugni molinae, Buddleja globosa, Aristotelia chilensis, Berberis microphylla, and Quillaja saponaria are some native species analyzed in this review. Since inflammation treatment is not a one-dimensional solution, this review seeks a multidimensional therapeutic approach to inflammation with plant extracts based on scientific and ancestral knowledge.
... Coquimbo Fruit FW 62 [83] Pulp Epicarp FW c 608 469 [84] Algarrobo (Flour) ...
... [81,122] Furthermore, edible fruit of the boldo has also been studied and has less antioxidant activity and phenolic content than other fruits like berries. [123] There are other foods, especially fruits that are grown in Chile and South America with an interesting profile of polyphenols and TPC such as papaya (Vasconcellea pubescens A.DC.), [82] cactus prickly pear (Opuntia spp.), [124] copao (Eulychnia acida Phil.), [83,84] algarrobo (Prosopis spp.), [85] Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.), [86] "Chaura" (Gaultheria Pumila) and (Gaultheria poeppigii DC.), [87,125] Nalca (Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirb.) [88] and honey [89] (Table 1). ...
Certain countries have the privilege of diverse ecosystems that allow access to wide food availability. This fact carries an intrinsic diversity in bioactive compounds such as phytochemicals, especially polyphenols. The aim of this review is to summarize the advances in polyphenols research which have been conducted in Chile, with a focus on polyphenol-rich foods and health-related outcomes. In the first part, several studies that have analyzed food sources rich in polyphenols are presented. This is followed by a description of in vitro and in vivo studies from Chile that have evaluated the polyphenol compounds of Chilean foods or their extracts along with their biological activity or health effects. Most polyphenol studies in our search have an in vitro experimental design where mainly protective activities are tested. The antioxidant effect is remarkable in all studies. As well as discussing the future direction of dietary assessment and the approach to biomarkers in this field, currently, additional emphasis and research investment are necessary to explore more native foods with an added value.
Abbreviations: TPC: total Phenolic Content; PEE: phenolic-enriched extract; PAs: proanthocyanidins; 24 HDR: 24-hour dietary recall; FFQ: food frequency questionnaires.
... Cicla), fruits from the Hylocereus and Opuntia genera, and various species of Amaranthus [182][183][184][185]. However, betalains can be found in less typical food sources, including tubers of Ullucus tuberosus L., fruits of Eulychnia cacti, or berries of Rivina humilis L., as well as in other plants such as Phytolacca americana L. [186][187][188]. Over the past six decades, a flurry of research on betalains has led to a significant body of literature, however, there have been misconceptions regarding their chemical nature [189]. ...
Cyclic peptides and betalains, the widely used biomolecules, collected from several microbial sources, have become popular due to their compatibility with human body and food products. As cyclic peptides exhibit some fascinating properties like receptor selectivity, structural rigidity, and biochemical stability, they show several activities for instance, immunosuppressive, antibacterial, and anti-tumor which catches the attention of the researchers in the medical field. On the other hand, betalains, a water-soluble nitrogen based natural pigment, can be used as natural food colorants and antioxidant agents because of its wide range color, remarkably red and yellow. This chapter emphasizes on the sources, structural diversity of cyclic peptides and betalains and concludes by their applications and future scopes.
... The main edible sources of these pigments in nature are red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) (Hempel & Böhm, 1997), the fruits of cacti of Opuntia (mainly Opuntia ficus-indica) (Felker et al., 2008), pitaya or dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) (Wybraniec, Nowak-Wydra, Mitka, Kowalski, & Mizrahi, 2007), Swiss chards (Beta vulgaris) (Kugler, Stintzing, & Carle, 2004) and quinoa grains (Chenopodium quinoa) (Escribano et al., 2017). Some of the lesser-known sources are ulluco tubers (Ullucus tuberosus) (Svenson, Smallfield, Joyce, Sansom, & Perry, 2008), Rivina humilis berries (Khan, Denny Joseph, MuralidharaRamesh, Giridhar, & Ravishankar, 2011), Malabar spinach (Basella alba) (Lin et al., 2010), djulis grains (Chenopodium formosanum), a plant native to Taiwan (Tsai, Sheu, Wu, & Sun, 2010), the vegetable waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) (Swarna, Lokeswari, Smita, & Ravindhran, 2013) and some fruits of the Eulychnia cactus as the copao fruit (Masson et al., 2011). Within these examples, red beetroot is the most employed source of betalains. ...
Background
Vanillic acid is a phenolic compound, found in various dietary sources and medicinal plants. Apart from its extraction from these biological sources, it is also synthesized chemically. It is used as flavouring agent in various food products. It possesses anticancer, antiobesity, antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Despite possessing good therapeutic potential and safety profile, it has not been well explored as nutraceutical or, therapeutic moiety.
Scope and approach
Literature search was conducted to systematically review the various mechanistic pathways through which vanillic acid showed multiple therapeutic effects. Along with these pathways, other applications of vanillic acid and its derivatives are highlighted. Some of the patents that have been filed hitherto, for the production and uses of vanillic acid are also entailed in the manuscript.
Key findings and conclusion
Vanillic acid exerts diverse bioactivity against cancer, diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and hepatic diseases by inhibition of the associated molecular pathways. Its derivatives also possess therapeutic potential to treat autoimmune diseases as well as fungal and bacterial infections. Owing to these benefits, vanillic acid has great potential to be used as nutraceutical and provides a scope for therapeutic uses beyond its traditional use as a flavoring agent. However, its oral bioavailability is limited due to its rapid elimination (metabolism) from the plasma. This, in turn, impedes its successful delivery through conventional formulations. Hence, efforts are required to develop nanoformulations of vanillic acid to overcome the associated challenges.
... The main edible sources of these pigments in nature are red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) (Hempel & Böhm, 1997), the fruits of cacti of Opuntia (mainly Opuntia ficus-indica) (Felker et al., 2008), pitaya or dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) (Wybraniec, Nowak-Wydra, Mitka, Kowalski, & Mizrahi, 2007), Swiss chards (Beta vulgaris) (Kugler, Stintzing, & Carle, 2004) and quinoa grains (Chenopodium quinoa) (Escribano et al., 2017). Some of the lesser-known sources are ulluco tubers (Ullucus tuberosus) (Svenson, Smallfield, Joyce, Sansom, & Perry, 2008), Rivina humilis berries (Khan, Denny Joseph, MuralidharaRamesh, Giridhar, & Ravishankar, 2011), Malabar spinach (Basella alba) (Lin et al., 2010), djulis grains (Chenopodium formosanum), a plant native to Taiwan (Tsai, Sheu, Wu, & Sun, 2010), the vegetable waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) (Swarna, Lokeswari, Smita, & Ravindhran, 2013) and some fruits of the Eulychnia cactus as the copao fruit (Masson et al., 2011). Within these examples, red beetroot is the most employed source of betalains. ...
Background
Betalains are phytochemicals of relevance to the food industry not only for their natural presence in foods and beverages but also due to their utility as food colorants. However, the use of betalains as functional ingredients has not been extended despite of their demonstrated health-promoting properties. The use of betalains as nutraceuticals is an emerging field thanks to the accumulation of scientific evidence on their beneficial effects on health on humans and animal models.
Scope and approach
In this review, all the health-promoting effects of betalains published to date are collected and discussed with a focus on their promising use as functional ingredients. All studies on animal models and humans are critically analysed.
Key findings and conclusions
The bioactive properties of betalains have been manifested in rodents, fish and nematodes. Chemopreventive, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities are some of the effects produced by betalains in vivo. Assays performed in humans remain limited, but their conclusions are highly promising in terms of the health-promoting potential of betalains, supporting the use of these compounds as functional ingredients.
... Other edible sources of betalains are Gomphrena globosa flowers, Basella rubra fruits, Amaranth plants, common cockscomb (Celosia argentea), Swiss chard, Opuntia ficusindica fruits, Hylocereus polyrhizus fruits, and Mammillaria fruits (Felker et al., 2008;Hempel and B€ ohm, 1997;Osorio-Esquivel et al., 2011;Wybraniec et al., 2007;Wybraniec and Mizrahi, 2002). The less common sources are ulluco tubers (Ullucus tuberosus) (Svenson et al., 2008), the fruits of the Eulychnia cacti (Masson et al., 2011), and the berries from Rivina humilis . The consumer preference and search for alternative source of natural food colourant led to identification of B. alba fruits as a potential crop. ...
Basella alba is an underutilized leafy vegetable native to the Indian subcontinent. The therapeutic function associated with the consumption of this vegetable is well known, such as androgenic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The plant's fruit and stem are blessed with natural betalain pigments. In the recent years, researchers have developed an increasing interest in the use of betalains as a natural food colorants. In this study, we report the natural variation between the B. alba genotypes for betalain pigmentation and examined its inheritance. To study its inheritance, a cross was made between two contrasting genotypes viz., 'VRBÀ48À1 0 (Basella alba var. alba) having green stem with snow-white flowers, and 'VRBÀ43À1 0 (Basella alba var. rubra) producing pigmented stem with red-violet flowers. The parental line 'VRBÀ48À1 0 had extremely low amounts of betalain pigments (4.26 mg/100 g FW) in the mature fruits, while the genotype 'VRBÀ43À1 0 had high betalain content (156.42 mg/100 g FW). Pigmented and non-pigmented (green) plants, obtained from crossing of these parental lines segregated in 3:1 in the F 2 generation. Our results have shown that the single dominant gene governed purple pigmentation in B. alba. Further, we did not find any recombinant i.e. green plants with red-violet flower or pigmented plants with white flowers/ intermediate shades suggesting role of major gene in controlling this trait. This simple inheritance will help in incorporation of this trait in mainstream breeding programme along with green yield. It was also evident from the results that the basal level of the betalain pigment component is always synthesized in the plants, beginning from start of life cycle to maturity. This is the first report of betalain pigment inheritance in B. alba.
... Taking into consideration the general area of copao distribution, hillsides with slopes greater than 15%, and northern exposure from east to west, the area of the Coquimbo Region is estimated at approximately 430 000 ha (Squeo et al., 2001). This species grows on hillsides and preferably on north facing slopes; its edible fruits have nutritional attributes and the characteristics of an isotonic (Masson et al., 2011) and medicinal drink (Jiménez-Aspee et al., 2014;2015), which exhibit morphological variability of fruit shape, color, and size. It was commonly used as animal feed, to construct live fences, and for some handicrafts. ...
Betalains are a class of natural pigments widely occurring in plants and, more rarely, in higher fungi. They exert specific physiological functions, mainly related to plant pollination and protection against external agents. The variety of colors and bioactivities presented by betalains have justified their growing importance among academia and scientific communities, mainly for differentiated industrial applications (e.g., food, pharmaceutical, etc.). They have been mostly explored for natural colorants development as well as bioactive and functionalizing properties. In this context, many studies have been developed and patented on the extraction, processing, and stabilization of betalains from plant materials (including by-products), aiming to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the processes and the pigments integrity and affinity with distinct matrices for further applicability in several industrial fields.
This chapter provides an overview of the chemical features of betalains and their main functions and properties and the most recent advances in novel and emerging technologies for extraction, processing, separation, and stabilization of these water-soluble pigments.
Betalains are water-soluble pigments present in vacuoles of plants of the order Caryophyllales and in mushrooms of the genera Amanita, Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus. Betalamic acid is a constituent of all betalains. The type of betalamic acid substituent determines the class of betalains. The betacyanins (reddish to violet) contain a cyclo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (cyclo-DOPA) residue while the betaxanthins (yellow to orange) contain different amino acid or amine residues. The most common betacyanin is betanin (Beetroot Red), present in red beets Beta vulgaris, which is a glucoside of betanidin. The structure of this comprehensive review is as follows: Occurrence of Betalains; Structure of Betalains; Spectroscopic and Fluorescent Properties; Stability; Antioxidant Activity; Bioavailability, Health Benefits; Betalains as Food Colorants; Food Safety of Betalains; Other Applications of Betalains; and Environmental Role and Fate of Betalains.
Three Latin American oilseeds obtained from native fruits: nopal (tuna) ( Opuntia ficus-indica), cherimoya (chirimoya) ( Annona cherimola), and papaya, Chilean variety ( Carica pubescens or C. candamarcensis) were studied for their fatty acid composition and bioactive compounds, such as tocols and phytosterols, looking for new sources of special oilseeds for this region. The results indicated that each species represents an interesting possibility. Nopal oilseed is a good source of linoleic acid (62%), with a good balance between SFA and MUFA (1:1.3). Cherimoya oilseed presents quite a different composition, with 24% SFA, 43% MUFA and 33% PUFA. Palmitic and stearic acids (15% and 7.6%, respectively) are the main SFA. A good balance between oleic acid (42.7%) and linoleic acid (31%) was observed. Papaya oilseed is a highly MUFA oil (72% with 71% oleic acid), with a very interesting composition, according to the new nutritional and technological recommendations.
With respect to bioactive compounds, the main tocol in these three oilseeds was γ-tocopherol, with 136, 300 and 317 mg/kg for cherimoya, papaya and nopal oilseeds, respectively. According to the total tocol content, papaya oilseed presented the highest value with 384 mg/kg. The total amount and distribution of phytosterols was different, with values of 3092, 3554 and 5474 mg/kg for nopal, cherimoya and papaya oilseeds, respectively, with β-sitosterol forming 47.6%, 65.0 % and 78.7% of the total phytosterol fractions, respectively. From the results obtained, Chilean papaya oilseed can be considered as a very promising new source of special plant oil for different applications, followed by cherimoya and nopal oilseeds.
Saponins occur constitutively in many plant species as part of their defense system. However, saponin content in plants seems to be dynamic, responding to many external factors including various biotic stimuli connected to herbivory attack and pathogenic infection, as well as involved in plant mutualistic symbioses with rhizobial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Thus, not only saponins influence the living organisms interacting with plants, but in turn, all these interactions can impact the plant saponin content. According to their constitutive occurrence in plants, saponins are regarded mainly as phytoanticipins. Nevertheless, some presented data clearly point out to induced biosynthesis of saponins, especially in plant response to insect herbivory or inoculation with root symbionts, while the best studied examples of interactions between plants and their microbial pathogens show rather qualitative change of saponin composition based on chemical modifications of preformed, pre-infectional precursors. Simultaneously, despite evident inducibility of saponin production in plant cell cultures, the possible role of these compounds as phytoalexins synthesized in intact plants after pathogen infection is still not well documented. Some practical patterns and ecological consequences of biotic factors influencing saponin content in plants are briefly highlighted, with the special attention paid to microbial inoculants applied for optimisation of saponin synthesis in cultivated medicinal plants.
Stems of Eulychnia (a genus of six to nine species of candelabriform or arborescent cacti) have a parenchymatic cortex with two distinct regions. The outer chlorenchymatic layer is characterized by a conspicuous parallel striping, whereas the inner cortex region devoid of chlorophyll has a coarsely granular aspect. Stem samples from nine accessions, collected in the field or taken from cultivation, were studied from resin-embedded microtome sections and maceration. Two different forms of lignified sclereids were found dispersed in the cortex and the pith. The sclereids of the outer palisade-like cortex layer are distinctly elongated and strictly oriented at right angle to the stem surface, whereas those of the inner cortex and pith are globular or subglobular and conspicuously enlarged compared with the surrounding parenchyma cells. The ontogeny of the sclereids was studied from stem samples of different ages. Formation of the secondary cell walls starts only after cell growth is completed. A screening of numerous South American cacti for the presence of idioblastic sclereids showed that these structures are unique for the genus Eulychnia. Finally, functional aspects of the sclereids are shortly discussed. It is assumed that the sclereids contribute to the mechanical support and reinforcement of the plants.
The effect of irrigation and cladode fruit load on fruit characteristics was studied in a split-plot design, on mature trees of O. ficus-indica cv. 'Gialla' cultivated for summer production. Irrigation increased fruit fresh weight and the number of export-size fruits, only at the lowest fruit load (6 fruit for cladode). Fruits from cladode thinned from 15 to 6 fruits reached the same size of fruits grown in cladodes with a natural crop load of 6 fruits, while fruits grown on cladode with a crop load of 15 fruits attained the same size o thinned fruits only in the irrigated plot. Thinning increased the percentage of export-size fruit both in irrigated and non irrigated trees. An interaction between irrigation and crop load was demonstrated. Total soluble solids, fresh firmness and percent flesh were not affected by thinning or irrigation.
Flowers and stems (cladodes) of cactus pear [Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.] appear simultaneously in spring, and a second vegetative and reproductive flush can be obtained in early summer by completely removing flowers and cladodes of the spring flush at bloom time. The seasonal growth patterns of cactus pear fruits and cladodes were examined in terms of dry-weight accumulation and cladode extension (surface area) to determine if cladodes are competitive sinks during fruit development. Thermal time was calculated in terms of growing degree hours (GDH) accumulated from bud burst until fruit harvest. Fruits of the spring flush had a 25% lower dry weight and a shorter development period than the summer flush fruits, and, particularly, a shorter duration and a lower growth rate at the stage when most of the core development occurred. The duration of the fruit development period was better explained in terms of thermal rather than chronological time. The number of days required to reach commercial harvest maturity changed with the time of bud burst, but the thermal time (40 x 103 GDH) did not. Newly developing cladodes may become competitive sinks for resource allocation during most of fruit growth, as indicated by the cladode's higher absolute growth rate, and the fruit had the highest growth rate during the final swell of the core, corresponding to a consistent reduction in cladode growth rate. Cladode surface area extension in the first flush ceased at the time of summer fruit harvest (20 Aug.), while cladodes continued to increase in dry weight and thickness until the end of the growing season (November), and, eventually, during winter. The growth of fruit and cladodes of the summer flush occurred simultaneously over the course of the season; the cladodes had a similar surface area and a lower (25%) dry-weight accumulation and thickness than did first flush cladodes. The proportion of annual aboveground dry matter allocated to the fruits was 35% for the spring flush and 46% for the summer flush, being similar to harvest increment values reported for other fruit crops, such as peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.]. Summer cladode pruning and fruit thinning should be accomplished early in the season to avoid resource-limited growth conditions that could reduce fruit and cladode growth potential.
The main aspects concerning the use of the young stems and fruits of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) into human food are discussed. Topics considered include an overview of the prickly pear ecological characteristics, the biochemical composition of the cladodes and fruits, their postharvest behavior, and the possibilities of their industrial transformation and conservation. The food potential for all parts of the fruits and stems are reviewed. The prickly pears are a group of cactus species adapted to semiarid conditions and native to the American continent. Owing to crassulacean acid metabolism, these plants show a high water-use efficiency, they have a high relatively potential of biomass production, and they are extremely drought tolerant. Their fruits are highly regarded and consumed around the world. The tender young pads are an important part of the food in Mexico and in southern United States, and the mature cladodes are used as animal fodder.
The physicochemical, nutritional, and functional variations of Myrtillocactus geometrizans and Myrtillocactus schenckii, were assessed. Variations of characteristics among species and geographic origin were lower compared to prickly pear. Titratable acidity, and total soluble solids varied by 7.7%, and 11%, respectively. Variations of protein (18.5%) and fibre (5.2%) contents were lower when compared to prickly pear. Iron and copper contents make Myrtillocactus a good source of minerals contributing 16% and 20% of daily requirements. Myrtillocactus also could be an outstanding source of fibre (up to 36.9%). Gallic and caffeic acids, and vanillin were identified by HPLC. Betalains, soluble phenolics, and vitamin C contribute to the high antioxidant activity (TEAC) which, if compared with commonly consumed fruits, was higher. The potential for the production of high-quality industrialised products derived from Myrtillocactus is feasible, as long as compositional variations from batch to batch are kept in check.