**2. Nutritional composition**

**Table 1** shows nutritional composition of prickly pear pulp and peel. Prickly pear fruit pulp has high content of protein, lipids and moisture but low content of total fiber and ash comparing to the peel.

About sugar profile, glucose and fructose are the predominant ones in both peel and pulp. On average, fruit pulp shows high content of glucose (123 g L<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> ) and fructose (71.7 g L<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> ) than peel (91.0 and 52.0 g L<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> , respectively) [9].

Prickly pear fruit also stands out for its mineral contents. Potassium is the major macronutrient in pulp (199–410.7 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw), followed by calcium (12.4–49.1 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw) and magnesium (18 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw). Fruit peel presents magnesium (18.6–987 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw), calcium (49.04–951) and potassium (320–549 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw) as the major macronutrients [14, 15]. Fruit pulp shows lower level of sodium (0.70–1.09 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw) than peel (1.8–951 mg 100 g<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> dw) [14–16]. Iron, manganese and copper are the major microelements in fruit peel and pulp [14, 15]. The mineral pattern depends on the fruit origin and crop factors [15].


#### **Table 1.**

*Nutritional composition of prickly pear fruit pulp and peel.*
