Mucilage from cladodes of Opuntia spinulifera Salm-Dyck: chemical, morphological, structural and thermal characterization

The mucilage obtained from cladodes of Opuntia spinulifera has been used in industries and traditional applications. In the present work, the chemical, morphological, thermal and structural features of cladode mucilage from Opuntia spinulifera Salm-Dyck were studied. The 2D 1H-1H COSY NMR confirmed ten different residues within the repeating saccharide unit, six with α and four with β configurations. The FTIR showed the presence of galactose and pectins. The XRD detected minerals as calcium salts. The SEM exhibited aggregations and irregular morphology of the particles. The TGA registered the highest mass loss between 246–378°C and the DSC showed the transition state at 55.7°C and at 113.2°C was observed the typical endothermic peak, where it corresponds to the organic compound materials.