Valorization of prickly pear pericarp (Opuntia albicarpa Scheinvar) through aerobic fermentation

Objective: To determine the change in the composition of 'Blanca cristalina' cactus prickly pear's pericarp (Opuntia albicarpa Scheinvar) subjected to aerobic fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Design/methodology/approach: The pH, total soluble solids, moisture, ashes, total carbohydrates and crude protein were determined on cactus prickly pear's pericarp before and after being fermented by S. cerevisiae. Data were compared through a paired t test. Results: Significant difference (p<0.05) was found in the total soluble solids, carbohydrate content and crude protein content after the fermentation process. Total soluble solids and carbohydrates content both decreased from 12.67±0.58 °Brix to 6.33±1.53 °Brix and from 7.43±1.4 % to 0.83±0.06 %, respectively. Meanwhile, crude protein content increased from 0.47±0.42 % to 8.87±1.02 %. Limitations on study/implications: Non-certified commercial yeast was used in this study, so the product obtained of process must be used for animal feeding, and for human food the process must be modified. Findings/conclusions: The fermentation process described in this work is an alternative, to increase the protein content of cactus prickly pear byproducts, such as the fruit pericarp, making it possible to be used as an animal feeding with high nutritional quality.