Besides being a source of healthy food and water in arid and semi-arid lands, the Opuntia cactus plant (nopal) provides unique ecosystem services. In the last decade the plant's cladodes, fruits, flowers, and byproducts have become a source of valued bioproducts, increasingly used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, beverage, and nutraceutical industries. Following an updated examination of the new uses of nopal's biological resources, this study suggests avenues to overcome the main obstacles to unleashing the full potential of Opuntia's bioeconomy. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Toward unfolding the bioeconomy of nopal (Opuntia spp.)

Ciriminna Rosaria;Pagliaro Mario
2019

Abstract

Besides being a source of healthy food and water in arid and semi-arid lands, the Opuntia cactus plant (nopal) provides unique ecosystem services. In the last decade the plant's cladodes, fruits, flowers, and byproducts have become a source of valued bioproducts, increasingly used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, beverage, and nutraceutical industries. Following an updated examination of the new uses of nopal's biological resources, this study suggests avenues to overcome the main obstacles to unleashing the full potential of Opuntia's bioeconomy. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
2019
Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati - ISMN
cactus
cladode
nopal
Opuntia ficus-indica
prickly pear
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14243/390051
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 34
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 30
social impact