de Carvalho Coelho Luísa Mendes, Veloso Beatriz Farias, de Lima Silva Vanessa, Assunção Larissa Santos, Ribeiro Camila Duarte Ferreira, Otero Deborah Murowaniecki
Nutrition School, Federal University of Bahia, Campus Canela, Salvador, Bahia 40110907, Brazil.
Graduate Program in Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Campus Ondina, Salvador, Bahia 40170-115, Brazil.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun;316(Pt 1):144792. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144792. Epub 2025 May 29.
Cacti are plants that possess morphological adaptations to dry climates. This characteristic, combined with their composition rich in bioactive compounds and mucilage, has increased their visibility across various industries. This study aimed to identify the main technological innovations involving cactus mucilage, as well as the challenges and opportunities related to its application, through the analysis of patents. Data were collected from the Espacenet database, the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), and Patentscope using the terms "mucilage" AND "cactus." The countries with the highest number of filings were China, the United States, and Canada. Most patent filings were made by independent individuals, followed by educational institutions and companies. The number of filings related to this topic has increased over time, peaking in 2011. The food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and construction materials industries were the main sectors utilizing mucilage for various purposes: as a thickener, coagulant, purifier, and edible biopolymer. The Opuntia genus was the most commonly used. The analysis revealed the great versatility of this polymer, which ensures significant growth potential, particularly in the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. However, several challenges still need to be overcome, such as improving extraction methods, addressing sensory changes in food products, and-most importantly-the lack of investment in research and development in some countries.
仙人掌是对干旱气候具有形态适应性的植物。这一特性，再加上其富含生物活性化合物和黏液的成分，提高了它们在各个行业的知名度。本研究旨在通过专利分析，确定涉及仙人掌黏液的主要技术创新，以及与其应用相关的挑战和机遇。使用术语“黏液”和“仙人掌”从欧洲专利局数据库、巴西国家工业产权局（INPI）和专利合作条约数据库收集数据。申请数量最多的国家是中国、美国和加拿大。大多数专利申请是由独立个人提交的，其次是教育机构和公司。与该主题相关的申请数量随时间增加，在2011年达到峰值。食品、化工、制药和建筑材料行业是将黏液用于各种用途的主要行业：作为增稠剂、凝结剂、净化剂和可食用生物聚合物。仙人掌属是最常用的。分析表明这种聚合物具有很大的通用性，这确保了其巨大的增长潜力，特别是在食品、制药和生物技术行业。然而，仍有几个挑战需要克服，例如改进提取方法、解决食品产品的感官变化问题，以及——最重要的是——一些国家在研发方面缺乏投资。
