Influence of irrigation, cladode size, harvest time and addition of citric acid on the properties of cactus mucilage

ABSTRACT Cactus is a highly resistant crop, and offers benefits in its mucilage for the industry due to its physicochemical properties. This study aimed to analyze the effect of irrigation managements, harvest time, cladode size and citric acid addition during the processing on the agro-industrial yield and physicochemical properties of mucilage extracted from cladodes of Nopalea cochenillifera Miúda clone cultivated under rainfied and irrigated conditions. The yield, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH, K+ and Na+ contents, and the electrical conductivity were measured in the mucilage. The management practices in the field resulted in changes in the studied phytochemicals. For the rainfied cultivation, the night harvest of the biggest cladodes increased the K+ and soluble solids contents. The addition of citric acid to the mucilage extraction resulted in higher amounts of soluble solids, titratable acidity and electrical conductivity and lower pH values. The highest water availability promoted higher mucilage yields.