Nutritional and physicochemical characterization of two products (jams and syrup) made from Antananarivo raketa fruits (Opuntia ficus-indica)

The fruits of the prickly pear (raketa), like most fruits, are mainly made up of water, which limits their storage. The transformation of the fruits into jam or syrup allowed a longer preservation. As part of the valorization and conservation of food products in Madagascar, two products (jam and syrup) have been developed from raketa fruits. The present study focused on the nutritional characterization of raketa fruits and processed products, and the determination of some physicochemical parameters of processed products. The results of the analysis showed that the water content of raketa fruits was 87.76%, meaning a dry matter content of 12.24%. The carbohydrate content was 9.88% relative to the crude matter, the rate of reducing sugars was 25%. The other macronutrients were scarcely present, respectively 0.19% for lipids relative to crude matter and 1.31% for proteins. The energy value of fruits was 46.47 Kcal. These fruits had an almost neutral pH (6.35) and a titratable acidity of 1.0%. The processed products had a dry matter content of 65% for jam and 68% for syrup; the increase in these levels is due to the evaporation of water during cooking. For both products, carbohydrates were the most abundant macronutrients with levels around 65%, regarding reducing sugar contents, they were around 27.77%. Fat and proteins were almost negligible. The ash contents were 0.89% (jam) and 0.99% (syrup). The energy values were 256.51 Kcal for the jam and 266.41 Kcal for the syrup. The pH values were 3.86 (jam) and 4.36 (syrup).