Nutritional Composition, Antinutritional Factors, Antioxidant Activities, Functional Properties, and Sensory Evaluation of Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) Seeds Grown in Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) seed is one of the main components of fruit crops. The seed is tightly packed together in a mucilaginous structure inside the endocarp of the fruit. The present study investigated the nutritional composition, antinutritional factors, and phytochemical and sensory attributes of cactus pear seeds collected from Hatset Kebele, Hawzen Woreda, Tigray region. The sample provides 392.84 kcal/100g energy in dry weigh basis. The dietary Ca, K, P, Fe, and Zn contents of the sample accounted 390.14mg, 446.46mg, 206.18mg, 4.37mg, and 2.01mg per 100 g, respectively. Despite the high phytate content (259.20mg/100g), the sample had appreciable amount of antioxidant capacity (43 to 95% of inhibition). The sample also had high value of water solubility index (5.6g/100g) and low value of bulk density (0.80g/ml). The sensory evaluation revealed that consumption of “Himbasha” (traditional bread) formulated with wheat flour was more preferable up to the ratio of 85:15% (wheat/seed).