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Nopalitos (Cactus Stems)

Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality

Marita Cantwell

Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis

Publications for this Commodity

Maturity & Quality

Maturity Indices

Cactus stems or "nopalitos" (in Spanish) are the rapidly-growing succulent stems of the Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp). They are grown in California as a specialty vegetable or imported from Mexico, where they are a traditional vegetable. Cactus stems are harvested based on size, and can be harvested small (
Quality Indices

Good quality nopalitos are fresh, turgid and a brilliant green color. Nopalitos should be harvested when young and tender and not early in the morning to avoid a high acid content (see special considerations).

Maturity & Quality Photos

Title: Maturity

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Title: Quality (1)

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Title: Quality (2)

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Title: Quality (3)

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Temperature & Controlled Atmosphere

Optimum Temperature

Generally nopalitos should be cooled to about 5°C (41°F) to reduce loss of visual appearance due to water loss. The recommended conditions for storage of nopalitos are 5°C to 10°C (41°F to 50°F) at high relative humidity. The major factors limiting storage life of nopalitos are decay and dehydration. Nopalitos stored under higher temperatures rapidly loss their brilliant shiny appearance, become dull green and may also begin to yellow and curve inward due to water loss. Good quality can be maintained for
Optimum Relative Humidity

90-95%

Rates of Respiration

Temperature	5°C (41°F)	10°C (50°F)	15°C (59°F)	20°C (68°F)
ml CO₂/kg·hr	8-10	20-22	28-32	38-44

To calculate heat production multiply ml CO₂/kg·hr by 440 to get Btu/ton/day or by 122 to get kcal/metric ton/day.
These are average respiration rates for 10 cm nopalitos; respiration rates of 20cm stems are about 50% lower.

Rates of Ethylene Production

Ethylene production rates are very low (0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 µl/kg·hr at 5°C (41°F), 10°C (50°F) and 20°C (68°F), respectively).

Responses to Ethylene

Nopalitos are not very sensitive to ethylene exposure, but exposure at warmer temperatures will enhance yellowing.

Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA)

No information is available on the potential benefits of modified/controlled atmosphere storage of cactus stems. For diced product, moderate CO₂ (5-10%) atmospheres may be beneficial.

Disorders

_{Physiological and Physical Disorders}

Chilling injury. Nopalitos are chilling sensitive when stored below 10°C (50°F) . However, 3 weeks at 5°C (41°F) may be needed to observe some chilling symptoms. Chilling damage may be manifested as a superficial bronzing or discoloration and increased susceptibility to decay. The onset of chilling injury will depend on storage temperature, maturity and source of product.

Pathological Disorders

Decay at the cut stem end may be a problem if nopalitos are stored for longer than 2 weeks. Decay is usually avoided by insuring that the nopalitos have not been damaged when cut from the plant. Decay can also occur during storage at places where spines have penetrated the surface.

Special Considerations

Cactus stems should be harvested and handled with care to avoid mechanical damage, especially due to spines from one stem penetrating the neighboring stem. Spine damage leads to a rusty-brown discoloration and pathological problems.

Because of the spines, a cleaned and diced product is an attractive option. The cut nopalitos cannot be washed before marketing because it will cause mucilage to exude and increase discoloration of the cut surfaces. Cleaned and diced nopalitos should be stored between 0°C (32°F) and 5°C (41°F) and have a shelf-life of about 6 days.

Because the prickly pear plant is a CAM plant (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) and fixes CO₂ at night as malic acid before converting it to sugars during the day, the acid content of nopalitos may fluctuate greatly and affect their flavor. Therefore it is recommended to harvest the stems after 2-3 hours of sunlight. Small nopalitos however, are not CAM-active. In addition, low storage temperatures 5°C (41°F) maintain acid levels.

Disorders Photos

Title: Discoloration

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Title: Stem-End Decay

Photo Credit: Marita Cantwell, UC Davis

Date

August 2000

Use of Materials

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Except for these specified uses, no part of the textual materials available on the UC Postharvest Technology Center Web site may be copied, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, further transmitted or otherwise reproduced, stored, disseminated, transferred or used, in any form or by any means, except as permitted herein or with the University of California's prior written agreement. Request permission from UC Postharvest Technology Center. Distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited.

The information in this fact sheet represents our best understanding of the current state of knowledge at the time of the latest update, and does not represent an exhaustive review of all research results. Links to any of these UC Postharvest Technology Center pages are permitted, but no endorsement of the linking site or products mentioned in the linking page is intended or implied by such a link.

How to Cite

Author(s) names. Initial publication or update date (located at the top). Title. Link to the specific Produce Fact Sheet webpage (Accessed date)

Example: Cantwell, M. and T. Suslow. 2002. Lettuce, Crisphead: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.

http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=19&ds=799 (Accessed January 18, 2014).

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