Phytochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Cladodes of Opuntia Ficus Indica Cultivated in the Mascara Region (North-West of Algeria)

Abstract

The Barbary fig (Opuntia ficus indica), a cactus belonging to the Opuntia genus, which holds multiple virtues, remains underutilized in Algeria. The cladodes of the Barbary fig are traditionally used as precious foods as well as in folk medicine. This study is designed to contribute to the valorization of Opuntia ficus indica paddles cultivated in Mascara (Northwest Algeria) by determining the phytochemical composition and evaluating antioxidant activity.The phytochemical characterization of the cladodes has shown that they represent significant sources of bioactive substances with interesting physicochemical properties. The antioxidant power results demonstrated that the methanolic extract of O.F.I cladodes is more active than other extracts across all 3 tests conducted (β-carotene bleaching, DPPH, and FRAP) with lower IC50 values (1,970µg/ml, 4,816 µg/ml, 3,98 µg/ml). Additionally, at the same tested concentrations, the inhibition percentages obtained by the DPPH and FRAP tests are lower than those of the β-carotene bleaching method.