LAUSR

ABSTRACT Around the world, prickly pear fruits are valued as a source of dietary functional compounds and ingredients for innovative foods. Growth and physicochemical changes of Opuntia albicarpa S. fruits were recorded from 0 to 132 days-after-flowering (DAF) to identify non-destructive maturity-indices. Optimum-ripened fruits were freeze-dried to study physicochemical and functional characteristics of dried and rehydrated pulp. Principal component analysis confirmed growth turned into fruit ripening in DAF 99, and it lasted until DAF 132. Changes in color parameters of the peel correlated with fruit texture and pulp sugar content and taste index (P < 0.01). During freeze-drying, plate temperature had more significant effects than the thickness (P < 0.05). At 30°C, color ΔE between dried and fresh slices augmented, but, texture Δ´s (medium force) between rehydrated and fresh pulp was lower. Color tests could be used to harvest commercially-ripened fruits. Freeze-drying at 30°C improves the rehydrated slices texture regarding thickness maintaining rehydration coefficients.