Profiling the chemical content of Opuntia ficus-indica flowers by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS and GC/EIMS analyses

The qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoids from Opuntia ficus-indica flowers methanol extract from the Mediterranean area is described. On the basis of HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS analysis seven compounds have been identified as kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin glycosylated derivatives. The total amount of flavonoids of O. ficus-indica flowers was 81.75 mg/1 g of fresh plant material, with isorhamnetin 3-O-robinobioside being the major component (52.22%). The plant flowers volatiles composition was also characterized and a total of 18 components were identified. The main constituents were found to be germacrene D (12.6%), 1-hexanol (12.3%), n-tetradecane (9.1%) and decanal (8.2%)