Ensiling as a Conservation Technique for <i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> (L.) By-Products: Peel and Pastazzo

Abstract

Italy is the third largest producer of Opuntia fruits in the world after Mexico and the United States, and 97.72% of these fruits produced by Italy are grown in Sicily. The use of prickly pear fruits or juice leads to a high production of by-products. In this study, ensiling was chosen to preserve prickly pear peels (PPPs) and “pastazzo” (PPS) mixed with 12% wheat bran. PPP silage presented a lower DM than PPS silage (20.03 vs. 41.37%; p p p p < 0.01) and, consequently, also higher antioxidant activity. The results of this study on the mineral composition and macro- and micro-nutrients in silage highlight that these by-products are sources of minerals, with high levels of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Keywords

• prickly pear by-products
• <i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> (L.)
• peels
• “pastazzo”
• silage