Chemical modification of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage: characterization, physicochemical, and functional properties

The objective of the work was preparation and characterization of novel biomaterial produced by modification of the mucilage of nopal acylated with lauric acid and to increase the knowledge and better understanding about its relationship with the techno-functional properties. Hydrophobic mucilage was obtained, and its structural features were elucidated and confirmed by FTIR, X-ray diffraction, and 1H NMR. Modified mucilage exhibited significantly different physicochemical and functional properties compared to native mucilage. The modified mucilage was less soluble (15.65–16.99%), had lower water holding capacity (5.59–13.45 g/g), and exhibited greater oil holding capacity (4.47 g/g) than the native mucilage; in addition, it showed a surface tension of 57.2 mN/m, which correspond to a critical micellar concentration of 0.023 mg/mL. Acylated mucilage exhibited the highest foaming capacity (124.16%) at pH 10. This study demonstrates that the acylation of mucilage with lauric acid modifies the physicochemical and functional properties of mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica and suggests applications in the food, pharmaceutical, or packaging industries.