Ferulic acid, that is one of the hydroxybenzoic acids and a phenolic compound, is encapsulated in nopal mucilage. It is beneficial for human body and prevents from cell aging, carcinogenic effects of free radicals. Torres et al. found that this mucilage is promising for encapsulating active ingredients (2012).
Nopal mucilage is composed of pectic polysaccharides (Amin, Awad, & El-Sayed, 1970). It is yielded from peeled fruits of O. ficus indica plant. Phenolic compounds are very sensitive to heat and light. And also most of them may cause bitter taste. In order to protect against light, pH, heat; and increase its bioavailability, ferulic acid is encapsulated (Munin & Edwards-Lévy, 2011).
