Acanthocereus tetragonus (L.) Hummelinck is used as an alternative food source in some Mexican communities. It has been shown that the young stems of A. tetragonus provide crude protein, fiber, and essential minerals for humans. In this work, we analyzed the phytochemical profile, the total phenolic content (TPC), and the antioxidant activity of cooked and crude samples of A. tetragonus to assess its functional metabolite contribution to humans. The phytochemical profile was analyzed using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA-HESI-Orbitrap-MS/MS). Under the proposed conditions, 35 metabolites were separated and tentatively identified. Of the separated metabolites, 16 occurred exclusively in cooked samples, 6 in crude samples, and 9 in both crude and cooked samples. Among the detected compounds, carboxylic acids, such as threonic, citric, and malic acids, phenolic acids, and glycosylated flavonoids (luteolin-O-rutinoside) were detected. The TPC and antioxidant activity were analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical inhibition method, respectively. The TPC and antioxidant activity were significantly reduced in the cooked samples. We found that some metabolites remained intact after the cooking process, suggesting that A. tetragonus represents a source of functional metabolites for people who consume this plant species.
Keywords: alternative food; cacti; chromatography; edible cactus; marginalized communities; secondary metabolites.