Enhancement of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of prickly pear fruits by high hydrostatic pressure: A chemical and microstructural approach

Abstract

Prickly pears were submitted to high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (pressure: 100, 350 and 600 MPa; temperature: 17–34 °C; time: come-up time (CUT) and 5 min) to enhance their health potential by increasing the extractability of bioactive compounds. Phenolics, betalains and ascorbic acid were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometry in peels and in pulps to determine their contribution to in-vitro bowel-related antioxidant (oxygen radical absorbance capacity; ORAC) and anti-inflammatory activities (hyaluronidase inhibition and nitric oxide radical scavenging activity). Antioxidant activity in Pelota and Sanguinos pulps increased 81.1 and 68.2% at 350 MPa/5 min, respectively, and correlated with the increase of phenolic acids, isorhamnetin glucosyl-rhamnosyl-rhamnoside (IG1) and isorhamnetin glucosyl-rhamnoside (IG5). Anti-inflammatory activity increased 85.7 and 117.5% in Pelota and Sanguinos pulps, respectively, at 600 MPa/CUT and correlated with the increase of isorhamnetin glucosyl-rhamnosyl-pentoside (IG2), isorhamnetin glucosyl-pentoside (IG4) and IG5.