Rose foxburghii Pratt, also known as Wenxian fruit, is a spring fruit. Rosa roxburghii is a deciduous shrub of Rosaceae, which is native to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Rosa roxburghii has also been introduced and cultivated in Guizhou, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hubei and other provinces, and it contains rich Vitamin C (Vc), superoxide dismutase (SOD), roxburghii flavonoids, roxburghii roxburghii polysaccharide and a variety of essential amino acids for human body. 01
The nutritional components of prickly pear
The prickly pear fruit ripens from August to October, with a golden color and a sweet and sour taste. Its specific nutritional components are shown in Table 1. Its fruit is particularly rich in VC content, about 10 times that of kiwifruit, 100 times that of citrus, and 500 times that of apples and pears; The VP content is extremely high, 12 times that of ginkgo leaves, 120 times that of citrus fruits, and 150 times that of vegetables; Containing the active substance "superoxide dismutase" (SOD), which contains 541.1 to 4500 active units per gram.
In addition, prickly pear fruit also contains considerable amounts of carotenoids and B vitamins; The trace elements Mo and Co, which have anti-aging effects, have a content 1.25 times that of rapeseed pollen; The Fe content in trace elements is 131 μ g/g, which is higher than that of general fruits; The total dietary fiber content is 4.2% of fresh weight, which belongs to fruits with high dietary fiber content.
02
The efficacy of prickly pear and its active ingredients
Prickly pear polysaccharides have immunomodulatory effects, which can enhance non-specific immune function and humoral immune function.
Pineapple flavonoids have radiation protection effects, and radiation protection is an important means of reducing the side effects of radiation therapy. SOD in prickly pear has anti mutation and anti-cancer effects. Due to the close relationship between mutagenicity and carcinogenesis, in-depth research on anti mutation and anti-cancer substances is of great significance for cancer prevention.
In vitro studies showed that rosa roxburghii juice could improve the antioxidant capacity of low-density lipoprotein, reduce the accumulation of cholesterol in macrophages induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein and the formation of foam cells; It can also play an anti atherosclerotic role by prolonging the oxidation delay time of high-density lipoprotein and its subfraction, reducing its oxidative susceptibility.
03
The application of prickly pear in food
In recent years, with the development of mountainous areas and economic growth. The development and utilization of prickly pear resources are receiving increasing attention. Due to its sour and astringent taste, fresh prickly pears are difficult to consume and can only form a consumer market through processing. Prickly pear can be used to make various processed foods such as canned food, fruit juice, refreshing drinks, jam, fruit wine, etc. By using advanced processing techniques, prickly pear products can not only be nutritious and delicious, but also maintain high levels of nutrients such as vitamin C.
3.1 Canned prickly pear has a crisp taste, a sweet and sour taste, and contains a large amount of dietary fiber. Adopting low-temperature continuous sterilization process can maintain a high level of Vc preservation rate.
3.2 Pear Juice and Beverages Due to its high tannin content and strong astringency, prickly pear juice is not suitable for making 100% fruit juice. Generally, 20% fruit juice beverages are made with better flavor. To make the original juice, the tannins must be removed first. If processed and blended, a series of prickly pear compound drinks can also be formed.
Beverages such as winter melon and prickly pear juice not only have anti-cancer and anti-aging effects, but also have the effects of slimming, quenching thirst, clearing heat, and detoxifying. The composite fruit juice beverage of prickly pear and fire thorn has improved the weakness of the prickly pear fruit processing fruit juice flavor being slightly stained. This product has a good taste, beautiful color, and rich nutrition; Prickly pear, sweet potato leaf pure natural green health drinks, prickly pear health tea and other beverages are highly popular among consumers.
3.3 Dried prickly pear freeze-dried powder capsules prickly pear, like other fruits, has seasonal characteristics in raw material production (fresh fruit). Due to the fact that the Vc and SOD contained in prickly pears are thermosensitive substances that are highly susceptible to damage and have low preservation rates in conventional processing methods, prickly pear juice powder produced by freeze-drying can effectively maintain the nutritional content of prickly pears.
Therefore, it is particularly important to dry fresh prickly pear fruit. After research, it was found that. After removing the seeds, cut 6-8 slices of prickly pear fruit and treat them with sulfur fumigation. Then, dry them in an oven at 70-100 ℃ for 6-15 hours until their dry weight accounts for 13-17% of their fresh weight, and they can be stored for a long time. At this time, the VC content is between 6000-8000mg/100g, and the shorter the baking time, the lower the temperature, and the less Vc loss. This product is beneficial for long-term storage and has anti-cancer and anti-aging effects.
The freeze-dried powder of prickly pear processed by the Fruit Processing R&D Center of Zhejiang Citrus Research Institute was analyzed by the Testing Center of Shanghai Food Research Institute. The Vc content was 14000mg/100g, the total flavonoid content was 8500mg/100g, and the S0D activity was determined to be 40U/g. This indicates that freeze-drying can effectively maintain the nutritional content of prickly pear and is a future development direction for prickly pear processing.
3.4 Sugar based foods and prickly pear wine adopt the prickly pear sugar making process, and prickly pear fruits can be processed into sugar based foods such as prickly pear sugar and dried prickly pear fruit. Due to high requirements for production equipment and technology, large-scale production has not yet been carried out. The use of prickly pear fruit to make wine has a long history.
04
The development prospects of prickly pear
Prickly pear is rich in nutrients, but it is currently in a semi wild state, so it is called the "third generation fruit" by industry insiders. The climate in the Yangtze River Basin of China is very suitable for the production of prickly pear. The processed prickly pear products meet the requirements of modern food nutrition, health care, green and organic. Strengthening the research on prickly pear production, development and utilization, and developing prickly pear cultivation and processing industry in China can not only provide consumers with high-quality health food, but also have important significance for returning farmland to forests and improving the living conditions of the majority of mountainous people.
Another noteworthy issue is that prickly pear is renowned for its rich vitamin C content, but its biological effects are difficult to explain solely by vitamin C. The effects displayed by prickly pear far exceed those of the corresponding vitamin C content. In addition to unknown components, it may also be related to the combined effects of multiple components. Yu Xueyun et al. have found that vitamin C has a strong interference effect on SOD activity determination (using the pyrogallol method), but when both are present, this interference cannot explain the extremely high activity displayed by SOD. It is speculated that vitamin C also has a biological effect of enhancing SOD activity. If this is true, it will be an important piece of information that can be utilized for the pharmaceutical industry. With the development of the times, prickly pear, a cost-effective and high-quality natural nutritional plant, will undoubtedly make important contributions to human health.
