Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activities of Opuntia ficus Indica L. Cladodes Related to Extraction Method

We studied the richness of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activities of Opuntia ficus indica L. cladodes by comparing two types of extraction, maceration and soxhlet made with methanol / water (8 : 2, v/v). The results showed that the extraction by maceration is better than that by soxhlet with a total polyphenol concentration of 36.7 mg GAE/ g DW, a total antioxidant activity of 18.5 mg GAE/ g DW and an IC50 of 77.5 ?g/ml against DPPH radical scavenging. These results are very vaforable for a sustainable valorisation of the prickly pear cladodes for medicinal, pharmacological and alimentary fields.