ISHS Acta Horticulturae 811: VI International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal
INDUSTRIALIZATION OF CACTUS PADS AND FRUIT IN MEXICO: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES |
| Author: | J. Corrales-García |
| Keywords: | alimentary industry, cosmetics, food quality, food safety, functional foods, marketing |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.811.10 |
| Abstract:
The many alternatives for using cactus pear pads and fruit in Mexico embrace different type of industry: handcrafts, chemical-extractive, alimentary, pharmacological, and cosmetics. However, only some processed foods (brines, pickles, sauces, pasteurized juices, marmalades, and fresh cut products), cosmetics and some medicine-like products (functional foods) have been developed in this country. The main challenges of industrialization of these products, for each type of industry in particular are: lack of an enterprise approach and scarce financing support has limited the development of handicrafts production from the mature cactus pear cladodes, low industrial yield, complex and expensive technologies, low income-yield capacity and low competitive condition has limited the development of the commercial extraction of mucilage, pectin, sweeteners, pigments and seed oil as by-products. The main cactus pear alimentary industry challenges are: to avoid improvisation by doing good productive projects, to improve knowing of market in order to ensure sales, to establish efficient marketing actions, to improve products quality and safety, to increase processes efficiency and standardization, to reduce production costs and to develop new interesting products. The market of medicine-like products or functional foods is expanding; however, the main challenge is to guarantee the expected good results of consuming these products. Cosmetics, in which formulation includes cactus pads, have high demand; however, due to the low volumes of cactus pads required for elaborating these products, this industrialization alternative is better recommended for the big cosmetic industry already established, and is not recommend for small cactus pads producers. | |
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