Functional, rheological, and physicochemical properties of Opuntia ficus indica and Opuntia undulata mucilages

• Mucilages extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia undulata possess remarkable functional properties. • Arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose, and galacturonic acid are the constituents of Opuntia mucilage. • Water-holding capacity and emulsifying properties are remarkable in Opuntia ficus-indica . • Rheological characterization of both mucilages complements information for applications as bioadditives. Cactus species, particularly those within the Opuntia genus, possess a polysaccharide known as mucilage, which has significant potential for various industrial applications, including water purification and food additive development. This study aimed to investigate the functional, rheological, and physicochemical properties of mucilages extracted from two species of the Opuntia genus, namely Opuntia ficus indica (OFI) and Opuntia undulata (OU). The mucilage extraction process utilized a 1:3 wt/volume ratio of cactus cladode to water at 60 °C, followed by purification via ultrafiltration. The results showed that the total carbohydrate content of OFI mucilage was significantly higher (81.02 ± 0.08 %) than in OU (59.42 ± 0.06 %). Furthermore, the concentration of galacturonic acid was 8.99 ± 0.02 % in OFI mucilage, while OU contained 7.42 ± 0.02 %. Characterization techniques, including 1 H NMR spectroscopy, FTIR, and TLC, confirmed the presence of arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose, and galacturonic acid in both mucilage samples, which is consistent with previous literature findings. Functional assessments showed that OFI mucilage exhibited superior performance in some functional properties compared to OU. Additionally, OFI mucilage exhibited the highest intrinsic viscosity and significantly impacted surface tension. These findings suggest that while OU mucilage possesses remarkable functional properties, OFI mucilage possesses enhanced physicochemical and rheological characteristics, thereby underscoring its potential utility in various industrial applications, particularly in the food and pharmaceutical sectors as a bioadditive.