Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, is a dicotyledonous angiosperm plant. It belongs to the Cactaceae family and is characterized by its remarkable adaptation to arid and semi-arid climates in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. In the last decade, compelling evidence for the nutritional and health benefit potential of this cactus has been provided by academic scientists and private companies. Notably, its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids has been highlighted through the use of a large panel of extraction methods. The identified natural cactus compounds and derivatives were shown to be endowed with biologically relevant activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial and neuroprotective properties. The present review is aimed at stressing the major classes of cactus components and their medical interest through emphasis on some of their biological effects, particularly those having the most promising expected health benefit and therapeutic impacts.

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Nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a source of bioactive compounds for nutrition, health and disease.

Betalains are plant derived natural pigments that are presently gaining popularity for use as natural colorants in the food industry. The growing interest of consumers in the aesthetic, nutritional and safety aspects of food has increased the demand for natural pigments such as betalains to be used as alternative colorants in food products. Although betalains from red beetroot are one of the most widely used food colorant, betalains are not as well studied as compared to other natural pigments such as anthocyanins, carotenoids or chlorophylls. This paper reviews the pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-lipidemic and antimicrobial activity of betalains derived from sources such as red beetroot, amaranth, prickly pear and red pitahaya, for potential application as functional foods.

Betalains: Natural plant pigments with potential application in functional foods

https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/pdf/S1360-1385(13)00004-6.pdf

Devalraju Sreekanth

Papers

Betanin a betacyanin pigment purified from fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica induces apoptosis in human chronic myeloid leukemia Cell line-K562.

C-Phycocyanin ameliorates 2-acetylaminofluorene induced oxidative stress and MDR1 expression in the liver of albino mice.