Rodrigues, CarolinaPaula, Camila Damásio deLahbouki, SoufianeMeddich, AbdelilahOutzourhit, AbdelkaderRashad, MohamedPari, LuigiCoelhoso, IsabelFernando, Ana LuísaSouza, Victor G. L.2023-06-292023-06-292023-03-292304-8158PURE: 64821696PURE UUID: 86241104-8765-49bc-80e6-287d96dc866bScopus: 85152922748WOS: 000969563400001PubMed: 37048286PubMedCentral: PMC10094368http://hdl.handle.net/10362/154623Funding Information: The project MediOpuntia also received support through ERANETMED-MediOpuntia from Science and Technology Development Funding authority (STDF—Egypt), Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR—Italy), and Ministry of National Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Scientific Research (MENFPESRS—Morocco). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Opuntia spp. are crops well adapted to adverse environments and have great economic potential. Their constituents, including fruits, cladodes, and flowers, have a high nutritional value and are rich in value-added compounds. Cladodes have an appreciable content in dietary fiber, as well as bioactive compounds such as kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. Fruits are a major source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids and vitamin C. The seeds are mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. The flowers are also rich in phenolic compounds. Therefore, in addition to their traditional uses, the different plant fractions can be processed to meet multiple applications in the food industry. Several bakery products have been developed with the incorporation of cladode flour. Pectin and mucilage obtained from cladodes can act as edible films and coatings. Fruits, fruit extracts, and fruit by-products have been mixed into food products, increasing their antioxidant capacity and extending their shelf life. Betalains, obtained from fruits, can be used as food colorants and demonstrate promising applications as a sensor in food packaging. This work reviews the most valuable components of the different fractions of this plant and emphasizes its most recent food applications, demonstrating its outstanding value.31749648engbioactive compoundscladodesfood applicationsOpuntiasppprickly pearFood ScienceMicrobiologyHealth(social science)Health Professions (miscellaneous)Plant Sciencereview10.3390/foods12071465https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85152922748