The nopal cactus is an essential part of the Mexican diet and culture. The per capita consumption of young cladodes averages annually to 6.4 kg across the nation. In addition to contributing to the country's food culture, the nopal is considered a food with functional characteristics since, in addition to providing fiber, an important group of polyphenolic compounds is present, which has given cladodes to be considered a healthy food, for what they have been incorporated into the diet of Mexican people and many other countries worldwide. Research suggests that polyphenols from cladodes act as antioxidants and antidiabetics. This review studies the main phenolic components in cladodes and summarizes both conventional and novel methods to identify them.
Keywords: Opuntia ficus‐indica; analytical methods; cladodes; health effects; hierarchical structure; polyphenols.
© 2021 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.