Taxonomy

In Mexico is called Nopal to several species of the gender “Opuntia” of the family “Cactaceae.”
In the book Cactáceas of Mexico of Helia Bravo(1978) for the Nopal it presents 2 gender Opuntia and Nopalea.
The gender Opuntia in Mexico presents 5 subgenus, 17 series and 104 species. The gender Nopalea presents 10 species of those which the “Nopalea Cochenillifera” it is used for human consumption
In summary of the 104 species of Opuntia and 10 of Nopalea are used 15 for forage, 5 for fruit and 3 for human consumption (2 of Opuntia and one of Nopalea)

                                                TAXONOMY

Reign                        Vegetable

Sub Reign                 Embryophita

Division                    Angioespermae

Class                          Dicotyledonous

Sub class                   Dialipetalas

Gender                      Opuntiales

Family                       Cactaceae

Sub family                Opuntioideae

Tribe                          Opuntiae

Gender                      Opuntia

Description

Opuntia Ficus Indica it hardly has thorns. It is an arborescent vegetable from 3 to 5 mt. of high, their trunk is woody and it measures of among 20 to 50 cm. of diameter. It forms oblong articles (Pencas or Cladodes) of 30 to 60 cm. of long x 20 to 40 cm. wide and of 2 to 3 cm. of thickness. Their branches are formed by pencas of opaque green color with areolas that contain yellow thorns more or less numerous, and it produces flowers from 7 to 10 cm of long, their fruit is oval of 5 to 10 cm. of long x 4 to 8 cm. of diameter and its color can be yellow, orange, red or purple with abundant fleshy and sweet pulp.

1.      Longevity

In appropriate lands with Neuter ph and without problem of plagues the Nopal can end up living up to 80 years. The commercial plantations of intensive exploitations, they can last 3 years.

2.      Cladodes

The cladodes (pencas) they transform the light in chemical energy through the photosynthesis, they are recovered by a cuticle of the type lipidica, interrupted by the presence of t estomas that they remain closed during the day.
The cuticle of the cladode avoids the dehydration caused by the high temperatures of the summer. The normal hydrate of the cladode reaches until 95% of water in weight. 

3.      Acidity

The acidity contained in the Nopal is determined in function of the hour in that it is harvested.

Nutritional Values

                    In 100 grs of Net weight of Nopal

Bromatological Analysis  Nopal Powder

The analysis was made  under the National Public Health laboratories recommended techniques 

 of the Secretaría de Salud ( Diciembre 2002 ) UANL  Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas

Amino acids

                   % In 100 grs of Net weight of Nopal

 Nutritious use and Physiologic effect of the Ingest of the Nopal in the Production of Fecal Grounds

The Nopal have been a nutritious source in Mexico for hundred of years, at the moment also they have won popularity in the United States as much as vegetable for the case of the pencas,  like of fruit for the case of the tunas. As vegetable you can use in Salads, Soups, Stews, Roasted, in short in a wide range of applications and the fruit is used mainly in sweet and jellies. It has been mentioned that the Nopal belongs to the gender “Opuntia” and one can say that all the species Opuntia are eatable from the moment in that they are NOT toxic. However, there are some species that are easier of using that others. And this rests basically in the content of thorns. The wild Nopal develop but quantity of thorns since this it is their means of survival, while the cultivated ones are improved species. The State of Texas in the United States mainly in Kingsville,  has worked thoroughly in cultivating a variety without thorn that it contains less mucilage and resist low temperatures. Nevertheless, it has also been developed a lot of work about the mucilage like a dietary supplement to increase the ingest of soluble fiber the which it contributes several benefits to the health. The Nopal can eat up raw in salads, but most of people prefer them cooked and combined with other foods, as eggs, chili, shrimps, etc. and also in sauces. Recently it has been popularized the consumption of the Nopal liquefied cocktail  with some Juice of Fruits. However, for some people they find a little bothersome the sensation that causes the mucilage (it Dribbles) that release the Nopal. The Powder of Nopal that is not another thing but that Dehydrated Nopal and Milled, it has come to offer a solution so much for this inconvenience, as well as for the elaboration of a wider range of such products as  Breads, Cookies, Toasts, Tortillas, Etc.

PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECT OF THE INGEST OF NOPAL (1)

Although the Nopal is a food with a high grade of humidity, its fiber content in dry base is very important since its content as Total Dietary Fiber is bigger to 20% keeping a relationship 30:70 of soluble fiber to insoluble. Before this and their easy preparation for the human consumption rich foods can be developed in fiber like those mentioned in the previous paragraph, since they have been proven the benefits that it causes their consumption by means of investigations that relate the fiber consumption and the decrease of sufferings like colon cancer, arteriosclerosis, diabetes among others. Nevertheless, it is important to study the physiologic behavior of the fiber of the raw Nopal, since the tendency exists every time but marked for some years, of ingesting him in juice, blended with other fruits and vegetables with dietary ends to diminish of weight. The objective of the present study is:

 1. - to elaborate diets balanced with different grade of substitution

       of Nopal fiber

 2. - To register the increase of weight, food ingest and production

       of fecal grounds in rats Wistar during 14 days.

 3. - To evaluate the physiologic answer based on the certain

        parameters

4. - To identify a possible cause if there is loss of weight.

Materials and Methods

We worked with Nopal greenness (Opuntia Ficus Indica), it was cleaned perfectly, eliminating thorns and borders, it was cutted in uniform cubes of 1 cm. for side approx. those which they dried off in a dryer of fluidizes channel at 60°C until obtaining a smaller humidity to 6%. Later on they spent to a mill, until allowing that the obtained flour went by a mesh of 0.1 cm.

The Witness Diet was conformed according to the following balance:

They thought about different test lots, having a diet balanced in nutritious, but with different fiber%

The test diets took raw Nopal to the 8, 11 and 15 fiber% each a respectively, reducing for it the quantity of carbohydrates. It was studied in rats female, young of the stump Wistar, the rats were distributed random mind in 4 lots, 5 rats each one, a rat for cage with consumption of water and food ad libitum.

The parameters of mensuration of the physiologic answer were:

       Ø  Initial Weight

       Ø  Ingestion of Food for rat per day

        Ø  Efficiency of conversion of the Food

        Ø  Fecal  grounds in dry base per day

        Ø  Gr. of fecal grounds per day

        Ø  Gr. of food per kg of corporal weight

        Ø  Final  Weight, gain in weight and ponderal increase of weight

Arithmetic mediate of each lot, once applied statistical analysis with their respective calculation of Standard Deviation

Of these results it is observed that there is an important decrease of weight among the test groups when increasing the fiber content in their diet. If the ingestion of the food is compared, it is appreciated that there is a significant difference between the consumption of the group witness and those of test, especially, if one observes the group with the diet of 15 fiber%, however this result can be due to diverse reasons:

 1. - that the food has not been of the total pleasure of the animals, with him

        which a decrease of the consumption is caused

2. - that it has caused him a digestive uneasiness and they have associated it

      with the consumed food Especially this last asception could have bigger

      acceptance, since analyzing the production of fecal grounds, the test group

      with 11% of fiber was the one that bigger quantity for day of fecal grounds

      took place. Nevertheless, when establishing the relationship of grams of

      fecal grounds taken place against the grams of food consumed among the

      weight corporal livestock, it is seen that the group with 15 fiber% is that

      of the index but high of produced fecal grounds.

 CONCLUSIONS

1. - To bigger quantity of fiber in the diet, there is a remarkable production of

       fecal grounds

2. - the consistency of the grounds fecal guard a narrow relationship with the

       content of soluble fiber, making them viscous and not very

       consistent for the great quantity of retained water.

3. - A significant loss of weight existed in the animals due to an excess of fiber

        as well as to the type of present fiber in the Nopal.

4. - Signs and symptoms of malnutrition were presented due to the fiber

       excess. These signs were of being expected if you  observes that

       there was a decrease in the grade of efficiency of conversion of the food, the

       which it can be due to that some of the nutrients could not have had a

       correct absorption for the organism when having been caught in the fiber

       womb and to have been eliminated through the fecal grounds.

(1) Memories VII Congress National y V International about knowledge y utilization del Nopal

Medicinal Properties

It has been demonstrated that the Nopal apart from its nutritional qualities, possesses medicinal properties that it help to control different you disorder of the such body as:

    Obesity

Nopal's 17 amino acids, 8 of which are essential and must be ingested as food, provide you with more energy and less fatigue by helping the body to lower blood sugar; elevate moods, suppress the appetite and provide nutrients. Fat build up is prevented, while fat break down and excretion is increased. Insoluble fibers such as Lignan is known for increasing satiety and eliminating excessive binges. Nopal's vegetable protein helps the body pull fluids from the tissues back into the bloodstream thereby diminishing cellulite and fluid retention.

    Hiperglicemia (High Blood Sugar)

Nopal stabilizes and then regulates blood sugar by increasing the body's levels and sensitivity to insulin. Research studies have shown significant hypoglycemic effects maximal from 4 to 6 hours after Nopal ingestion in type II diabetics and non-diabetics. The dangerous side effects of high blood sugar levels including visual, blood vessel and nerve tissue disturbances are all addressed by Nopal's content of B-carotene (Vit. A ) Vitamin C, and Vitamins B1,2,3.

(See Nopal Power)

    Hyperlipidemia (High cholesterol/ Fat levels):

Nopal's amino acids, fiber and B3 (niacin) prevent excess blood sugar conversions into fats, while reducing the total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels by metabolizing fat and fatty acids and eliminating excess bile acids (excess bile acid is eventually converted into cholesterol). Other research studies on B3 (niacin) show its conversion effects of LDL (bad) to HDL (good) forms of cholesterol and help decrease the risk of heart disease

    Arteriosclerosis

The effects of the amino acids and fiber, including the anti-oxidant of Nopal's vitamin C and A (B-carotene) prevents the likelihood of blood vessel wall damage and the formation of fatty plaques.

    Gastric Ulcers (Gastrointestinal Disorders)

Nopal vegetable fibers and mucilage's control excess gastric acid production and protect the Gastrointestinal mucosa. This pH buffering and coating has been studied for the prevention of damages that may occur from ingesting spicy foods, aspirin and other NSAIDs.

     Digestion

Nopal's naturally available vitamins A, B1, 2, 3, C, minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, and Fibers in Lignin, Cellulose, Hemicelluloses, Pectin, Mucilage, and Gum form along with the 17 amino acids help to detoxify and support not only the liver but also the body in general. Ammonia, free radicals and environmental toxins such as alcohol and cigarette smoke-which all suppress the immune system are removed by Nopal. Nopal also aids in the balancing and calming of the nervous system, which benefits the body's overall function

 

Colon Cleansing

Nopal contains both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers. The insoluble dietary fiber in NOPAL (more commonly known as roughage), absorbs water and gently hastens food through the digestive track and contributes to regular bowel movements. In addition the presence of insoluble fibers in the colon help to dilute the concentration of potential carcinogens that may be present. Soluble fibers also contribute to regularity. Furthermore NOPAL is a gentle alternative to phylum for those with a sensitivity or allergy to phylum.