Phytochemical Composition of Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) Fruit

Fruits play an important role in human health due to their content of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemical compounds. Natural antioxidants such as phenolic compounds and organic acids help reduce oxidative stress, contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases. Prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) is a significant fruit species adapted to semi-arid climates with a rich phytochemical composition. This study comprehensively evaluated the phenolic components, organic acid profile, and antioxidant capacity of vinegar obtained from prickly pear fruit by traditional methods. Analyses identified acetic acid (273.00 ± 2.30 mg 100g⁻¹), tartaric acid (216.00 ± 4.04 mg 100g⁻¹) and oxalic acid (170.33 ± 0.88 mg 100g⁻¹) as the main organic acids, while gentisic acid (51.38 ± 0.67 mg 100g⁻¹) and ellagic acid (9.26 ± 0.08 mg 100g⁻¹) were prominent among the phenolic compounds. The total phenolic content was measured as 415.00 mg GAE L⁻¹, total flavonoid content as 202.00 µg QE mL⁻¹ and the DPPH value was determined to be 67.83%, demonstrating the vinegar’s effective antioxidant properties. The findings reveal that prickly pear vinegar can be used as a health-promoting food and represents a valuable resource for rural development and sustainable agriculture. Variations in chemical composition indicate the need for standardizing production processes and future research focusing on bioavailability, health benefits and optimization of production methods is recommended to enhance the product’s market value.