Opuntia Spp Superfood Of The Future And Its Biotechnological Potential
Download Opuntia Spp Superfood Of The Future And Its Biotechnological Potential PDF/ePub or read online books in Mobi eBooks. Click Download or Read Online button to get Opuntia Spp Superfood Of The Future And Its Biotechnological Potential book now. This website allows unlimited access to, at the time of writing, more than 1.5 million titles, including hundreds of thousands of titles in various foreign languages.
Opuntia spp.: Superfood of the Future and its Biotechnological Potential
Author: Sandra Pérez Álvarez
language: en
Publisher: Deep Science Publishing
Release Date: 2025-04-11
Opuntia spp. is a cactus popularly known as nopal in Mexico. Due to its characteristics, it is typically found in arid and semi-arid regions. Currently, 300 species of the genus Opuntia are known, approximately 100 of which are present in Mexico, and about 40% of these originate from the Chihuahua Desert. The Opuntia group comprises remarkable plants typically diverse in their environmental growth habits. Creeping and shrub species are forms bristled with branches; a tree is formed when older cladodes change into cylindrical shapes. Most of them have spines, which is quite a cactaceous feature; however, some spineless examples have also been recorded. Mostly, they produce true leaves, but only the young shoots of these plants have such short-lived leaves. A prickly pear is a shrub-like plant, woody in trunk and branches, composed of cladodes. These cladodes are referred to as nopalitos when they are young and succulent, and as pencas when mature. It is known that in the past, Opuntia species were propagated by seeds or vegetatively using rooting offsets or grafting. However, these methods are not useful for propagation on a large scale. For mass production of endangered and economically valuable cacti, in vitro culture techniques such as somatic embryogenesis, and plant regeneration via indirect or direct organogenesis are applied. Still a major staple food in traditional Mexican cuisine, nopal (Opuntia spp.) is generally consumed as a vegetable in salads, while its prickly pear is eaten as a fresh fruit. Opuntia ficus-indica is the most widely cultivated species of Opuntia. Its fruits typically have a pulpy, sweet flesh with colors ranging from white-grayish and yellow to orange, red, or purple. Depending on the variety, the fruit contains varying amounts of pulp and usually has a thin skin. Nopal offers an extensive portfolio of products and by-products that promise great benefit to many, especially those who are living in regions experiencing water scarcity.
Edible Insects
Edible insects have always been a part of human diets, but in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption. Although the majority of consumed insects are gathered in forest habitats, mass-rearing systems are being developed in many countries. Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security worldwide. This publication describes the contribution of insects to food security and examines future prospects for raising insects at a commercial scale to improve food and feed production, diversify diets, and support livelihoods in both developing and developed countries. It shows the many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human consumption and the opportunities for and constraints to farming them for food and feed. It examines the body of research on issues such as insect nutrition and food safety, the use of insects as animal feed, and the processing and preservation of insects and their products. It highlights the need to develop a regulatory framework to govern the use of insects for food security. And it presents case studies and examples from around the world. Edible insects are a promising alternative to the conventional production of meat, either for direct human consumption or for indirect use as feedstock. To fully realise this potential, much work needs to be done by a wide range of stakeholders. This publication will boost awareness of the many valuable roles that insects play in sustaining nature and human life, and it will stimulate debate on the expansion of the use of insects as food and feed.
The Health Benefits of Foods
Author: Liana Claudia Salanta
language: en
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Release Date: 2020-04-01
The global market of foods with health claims remains highly dynamic and is predicted to expand even further. Consumers have become increasingly aware of the importance of consuming healthy foods in order to have a well-balanced diet and this has increased the demand for foods with health benefits. On the other hand, the food sector companies are trying to meet the new consumers' expectations while designing a variety of novel, enhanced products. Thus, understanding the potential uses of bioactive compounds in food products, the wide range of therapeutic effects, and the possible mechanisms of action is essential for developing healthier products. Covering important aspects of valuable food molecules, this book revises the current knowledge, providing scientifically demonstrated information about the benefits and uses of functional food components, their applications, and the future challenges in nutrition and diet.