• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.711-717
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• 2016

Opuntia humifusa fruits were investigated. The length of minor and major axis, and weight of O. ficus-indica and O. humifusa fruits were compared as the morphological features. The characteristics of components such as color, moisture, crude protein, ash, fat, dietary fiber, mineral, and amino acids were evaluated. The values of O. ficus-indica fruits were higher than those of O. humifusa fruits in each morphological feature such as minor axis, major axis, and weight. According to the Hunter color index results, O. humifusa fruits showed higher values of L (lightness) and b (yellowness), whereas O. ficus-indica fruits showed higher value of a (redness). The ${\Delta}E$ value between two samples was 19.80. The O. ficus-indica fruits had higher carbohydrate content and lower content of crude ash than those of O. humifusa fruits. Both samples showed very high dietary fiber contents, and the major minerals were K and Ca. Glutamic acid was the major amino acids in both samples. In free amino acids contents, O. ficus-indica had higher tyrosine and lower glutamic acid level than those of O. humifusa fruits. ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid was found in both samples, whereas taurine was found in O. ficus-indica fruits only. Taken together, the morphological features and chemical quality of O. ficus-indica and O. humifusa fruits showed difference although both of them were originated from the same genus.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.117-121
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• 2012

Biological activities of the hot water and ethanol extracts from Opuntia humifusa cladodes were investigated. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hadrazyl (DPPH) electron donating ability of hot water and ethanol extracts was 79.07 and 82.54%, respectively. Hot water extract generally showed better cytotoxic activity than ethanol extract against each cell line. HeLa and AGS cell lines treated with hot water extract had more than 50% cytotoxic activities. Based on the antimicrobial activities against four microbial strains, both extracts inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus KCCM 11593, whereas affected cell growth of three other microorganisms, Escherichia coli (KCCM 11234), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 11862), in proportion to the concentration of extracts. The inflammatory activities against hot water extract (34.31%) showed higher than that of ethanol extract (25.59%). The effect of extracts on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes differentiation showed that differentiation of treated group with 80 and 100 ${\mu}g/mL$ of hot and ethanol extracts were increased more than treated group with isobutyl methyl xanthine (IBMX) + dexamethasone. These results indicate that the O. humifusa cladodes extracts can be used as a functional material due to their effective biological activities.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2006

Opuntia humifusa is a member of the Cactaceae family. In the present study, the antioxidant, nitric oxide(NO) inhibitory activities and potential irritation response of the fermented Opuntia humifusa cladodes(FOH) were investigated for cosmetic use. Antioxidant activities were tested using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) and xanthine oxidase assay, we found that FOH could scavenge DPPH free radicals and inhibit xanthine oxidase activity in a dose dependent manner, with $IC_{50}$ of 2599.46${\mu}g/ml$ and 721.38${\mu}g/ml$, respectively. To investigate the possible anti-inflammatory effects of FOH, RAW 264.7 macrophages were pretreated with FOH($0{\sim}400{\mu}g/ml$) for 30 min and then treated with LPS for 24 h. We found that cell number did not vary significantly with the treatment of FOH, and FOH did not show any inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production. After application of FOH to rabbits for skin and eye irritation test, the experimental sites did not show any response compared to the control. FOH were considered to be a non-irritant to the skin and eye. Based on the above information, we suggest that FOH can be considered to be a non-irritant base cosmetic material for safely use.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2017

To increase the bioavailability of Opuntia humifusa, O. humifusa was fermented using L. plantarum, and the characteristics of the fermented extract were confirmed. The characteristics of fermented extracts were investigated through viscosity, total polyphenol content, amino acid, antibacterial activity, cytokine analysis and zymography. The viscosity decreased by half and vitamin C remained almost unchanged during fermentation. Total polyphenols, most amino acids, total amino acids and major minerals were increased by fermentation. There was no cytotoxicity, and the activity of cytokines and MMP-9 in inflammation was inhibited. The inhibitory effect on inflammation and tissue destruction was found to be inhibited in L. plantarum fermentation extracts compared to hot water extracts. These results are expected to be the basis for the development of materials that enhance the functionality of L. plantarum-fermented O. humifusa extract.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2011

Opuntia humifusa contains high levels of antioxidants including vitamin C, flavonoids and polyphenols, which may provide beneficial effects such as hypolipidemic activity and the reduction of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. This study was conducted to determine if the intake of O. humifusa seeds powder (OHS) regulates lipid concentrations, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) in the serum of ovariectomized rats. Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly assigned to either a sham-operated group (Sham) or one of the following four ovariectomy (OVX) subgroups: OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day OHS (OHS100, OHS200, OHS500). Daily oral administration of OHS was initiated one week after ovariectomy and continued for seven weeks. Upon completion of treatments, organs were weighed and GOT, GPT, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were determined enzymatically. No significant differences in feed intake and organ index were observed among the groups. Significant decreases in GPT, TC and LDL-C (p<0.05) were observed in all of the OHS groups (OHS100, 200 and 500), while no significant changes in HDL-C were observed. In addition, the OHS200 and OHS500 treatment groups exhibited a lower level of serum GOT compared to the OVX group. These results indicate that supplementation with O. humifusa seeds could induce favorable changes in serum lipoprotein and lipid profiles, which frequently worsen with inadequate estrogen availability.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1268-1272
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• 2004

The 70% ethanol extract from cactus Chounnyouncho (Opuntia humifusa) was fractionated subsequently by hexan, chloroform, ethyl acetate, buthanol and water. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited strong antimicrobial activities by paper disk diffusion method on the five strains of food born bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas fluorescens. It has a heat resistance to show inhibitory effect after heat treatment at 11$0^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr. The ethyl acetate fraction showed almost perfect growth inhibition at over 700 ppm on the tested strains.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.437-443
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• 2014

The quality characteristics of noodles made from domestic Korean wheat flour added with 0, 1, 3, 5% cactus Chounnyuncho (Opuntia humifusa) powder were investigated. The water absorption and peak time of dough, as determined by farinography, increased with higher cactus powder content. Stability and elasticity of dough decreased as fermentation proceeded. Cooking characteristics of noodles made from dough such as weight, water absorption, and volume decreased with higher cactus powder content. The turbidity of cooked water increased significantly with 5% cactus powder content. For color test, L-value decreased while a-value and b-value increased with higher cactus powder content. In texture analyses, hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess increased with higher cactus powder content. In the sensory test, noodles containing 3% cactus powder were the most preferred.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.200-205
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• 2016

The aim of this work was to select suitable fermentation treatments for the efficient bioconversion of cactus (Opuntia humifusa Raf.) bioactive components with an improved radical scavenging activity for use as a nutraceutical. To obtain microorganisms for the microbial conversion of cactus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides ATCC8294, Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC 3099, Lactobacillus plantarum KERI 236 and Monascus pilosus KCCM 60029 (ATCC 22080) were used for fermentation. Fermentation by Lac. plantarum KCTC 3099 was the most effective at scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals and reducing iron (III). In particular, uronic acid levels showed a remarkable increase in fermentation. The polyphenol and quercetin content of the fermented cactus showed large increases from $108.65{\mu}g/mL$ and $2.71{\mu}g/mL$ to $227.83{\mu}g/mL$ and $9.73{\mu}g/mL$, respectively, showing a maximum level at 36 h of fermentation with Lac. plantarum KCTC 3099. Thus, cactus fermentation with Lac. plantarum is an useful process for the enhancement of antioxidant contents and activity of fresh cactus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1827-1834
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• 2014

Colon cancer is the third highest cause of death in Korea. Known dietary causes of colon cancer include a diet rich in fat and red meat as well as inadequate intake of dietary fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Therefore, recent research has focused on the anticancer effects of natural products. Opuntia humifusa is a type of prickly pear that is known to contain biologically active compounds that can be used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, and hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not O. humifusa extract affects proliferation, cell death, and DNA fragmentation in human carcinoma HT-29 cells. O. humifusa is rich in carbohydrates, minerals (Mg, K, and Ca), and total phenolics. HT-29 cells were treated with extracts of O. humifusa at concentrations of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL for 24 or 48 hours. O. humifusa extracts inhibited HT-29 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Hoechst 33342/PI double staining and Comet assay were performed to observe changes in nuclei of cancer cells undergoing cell death. The results of both tests showed that O. humifusa extract induced cell shrinkage, DNA fragmentation, and chromatin condensation dose-dependently in HT-29 cells. The results of this study suggest that O. humifusa extract inhibits the growth of HT-29 via induction of DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.502-509
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• 2016

The seasonal appearance and the chemical composition characteristics of cladode of Opuntia humifusa were investigated in this study. The minor (horizontal) and major (vertical) axes, the width, and weight of O. humifusa cladode were compared for its appearance features. Moisture, crude protein, ash, fat, color, dietary fiber, mineral, and amino acids contents were measured for the comparison of their chemical composition characteristics. The cladode of O. humifusa harvested in summer showed higher values of minor and major axis, width, and weight than those harvested in winter. According to the results of Hunter color index, cladode of O. humifusa harvested in summer showed the highest lightness level (Hunter L value). In the meanwhile, cladode of O. humifusa harvested in spring showed the highest Hunter a (redness) and b (yellowness) values. Cladode of O. humifusa harvested in summer had the lowest crude protein and crude fat contents, while it showed the highest crude ash content. The total contents of moisture and dietary fiber were significantly greater than summer-harvested cladode of O. humifusa followed by spring- and winter-harvested cladode of O. humifusa. The major mineral content of all seasonal cladode of O. humifusa was $Ca^{2+}$. Glutamic acid and aspartic acid were the major amino acids in all seasonal samples. Contrary, the contents of total amino acids and free amino acids were the lowest in summer-harvested cladode of O. humifusa. Taken together, it was concluded that the appearance and chemical quality of cladode of O. humifusa was versatile depending on the harvesting season.