Effects of Peeling, Film Packaging, and Cold Storage on the Quality of Minimally Processed Prickly Pears ( Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill.)

Opuntia species exhibit beneficial properties when used to treat chronic diseases, particularly obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; however, the presence of spines and glochids in the species’ skin that easily stick into consumers’ fingers has limited their consumption. For this study, white and orange Opuntia ficus-indica fruits from the Canary Islands (Spain) were minimally processed, packed in a passive atmosphere, and stored at 7 °C. The effects of peeling (by hand or with an electric peeler) and two micro-perforated films (90PPlus and 180PPlus) were evaluated. Changes in the quality parameters, gas composition, bioactive compounds, sensory features, and microbial safety of fresh-cut prickly pears were examined during 10 days of cold storage. Both varieties, hand-peeled and electrically peeled, were microbiologically safe (aerobic mesophiles < 7 log(CFU/g fresh weight)) and retained suitable nutritional quality after 8 days of storage. The yield was greater when fruits were electrically peeled than hand-peeled (70.7% vs. 44.0% and 66.5% vs. 40.8% for white and orange fruits, respectively). The concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide were above 15% and below 7.5%, respectively, in all the treatments over the shelf life. TSS decreased during storage independently of variety, peeling method, or film. Fructose was the most abundant sugar, followed by glucose and sucrose. The electric peeling machine improved not only the edible part of the fruit but also the contents of bioactive compounds, such as ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds.