Abstract

ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF CACTUS PEAR FRUIT

Viraj Roghelia* and Jinal Panchal

Abstract

Cactus pear fruits (Opuntia spp.) is cultivated in semiarid regions and commonly known as prickly pear. In India, cactus pear and their product consumption is not yet deliberate as it is less familiar. In the present study, cactus fruits from three different region of Gujarat namely Rajkot (CF1), Junagadh (CF2), Anjar (CF3) were studied for antioxidant profile. Total phenol, flavonoid, ferric reducing antioxidant power, DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS radical scavenging activity were studied using standard method. Cactus fruit - 1 showed significant higher levels of total phenol, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. Regression analysis revealed that the antioxidant activity of cactus pear fruit is mainly due to its flavonoid content. The present study concludes that cactus fruit possess good antioxidant potential and can be used for preventing oxidative stress.

Keywords: Cactus pear fruits, total phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant activity.