Effect of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) fruit pomace powder on the physicochemical, functional, bioactive, molecular, and sensory properties of biscuits

The increasing demand for functional foods and sustainable processing has intensified interest in valorising agro-industrial by-products as nutritional ingredients. Prickly pear ( Opuntia ficus-indica L.) fruit pomace is rich in dietary fibre and bioactive compounds but remains vastly underutilised. This study addressed the knowledge gap regarding the application of prickly pear pomace from different cultivars in biscuits and its effect on physicochemical and functional, molecular, bioactive, and sensory characteristics of biscuits. Biscuits were formulated by partially replacing wheat flour with pomace powder from Skinner’s Court and Algerian prickly pear cultivars at 5–20% substitution levels. Physical properties and functional properties, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP assays), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) profiles, and descriptive sensory attributes were evaluated using standard analytical techniques. Pomace incorporation significantly darkened biscuit colour, with lightness ( L *) decreasing from 95.55 in the control to 64.54–68.64 at 20% substitution, while redness ( a *) increased up to 11.77. Biscuit hardness increased from 26.20 N (control) to approximately 95 N at the highest pomace level. TPC increased from 16.25 mg GAE/g in the control to 28.57 mg GAE/g in biscuits containing 20% Algerian pomace, accompanied by a marked rise in antioxidant activity (ABTS inhibition up to 39.54%). FTIR spectra confirmed enrichment in hydroxyl-rich polysaccharides and phenolic compounds. Sensory profiling indicated acceptable texture and flavour at moderate substitution levels, despite increased bran-like and seedy notes. Prickly pear pomace has the potential to enrich biscuits with fibre and antioxidants, supporting sustainable food production while enhancing nutritional quality.