Prickly pear (Opun tie ficus-indica Mill.) Fruits Characteristics And New Utilization

The present study was conducted to estimate the suitability 01 the_prickly
pear fruits for preparing different edible products. Therefore the technological
properties of fruits, physic<H;hemical and proximate composition 01 pulp were
determined . Concentrate ,jam and sheet were prepared from the strained pulp and
their sensory characteristics were estimated. The results showed that the strained
pulp of_orange and spineless red ripe prickly pear fruits had 6.10 and 609 pH,
0.21and 0.23 acidity as% citric acid 11.38 and1U' total soluble solids, 11.02 and
10.98 total sugars 26.90 and 28.61 mg'100g ascorbic acid. 0.82 and1 06 mg/100g, 8·
carotene ,2.5 and 9.2 mg\100g total anthocynine respectively .Also the pulp contained
minor amounts of crude protein ,ether extract, crude fiber and ash The each
spineless red fruit contains one fine seed. The panelists accepted the sensory
properties of the processed concentrate, jam, sheet and reconstituted Juice from
such fruits.