This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Texans often view prickly pear cactus as a nuisance, but researchers with Texas A&M AgriLife Research are seeking opportunity. Susanne Talcott, Ph.D., a molecular researcher and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Food Science and Technology, leads a multidisciplinary team studying how prickly pear cactus can serve as a source of biofuels and functional food ingredients.
Their work could create economic opportunities in rural communities while improving access to healthy food ingredients. "Consumers are looking for high-quality ingredients that offer health benefits and are produced sustainably," Talcott said. "Prickly pear is one of the crops that is of interest because it can survive under conditions that are increasingly difficult." There is potential for high-quality ingredients with health benefits from a crop that can endure bad years and still produce, making it a genuinely resilient form of agriculture.
For Talcott, the appeal of prickly pear comes down to resilience and value. The science alone won't get cactus-based products onto store shelves. If the project simply publishes papers and shares findings, nothing will change, she said.
The real work, as she sees it, is helping build the supply chain that connects growers to processors. Without it, the industry won't take off. "We have to connect the dots," Talcott said.
"That means working with stakeholders throughout the process and understanding what growers, processors and companies need before a complete supply chain can take shape." She and her team are now focused on linking farmers and food companies so that, over the next five years, the dots get connected and the industry might develop the infrastructure it needs to grow. The team is made up of researchers from AgriLife Research, Texas A&M Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Kansas State University, New Mexico State University and Seattle Children's Hospital. They are experimenting with efficient fermentation processes that convert cactus biomass into carboxylic acids, key building blocks for agrochemicals and renewable fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel.
Mark Holtzapple, Ph.D., a professor of chemical engineering in the Texas A&M Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, is studying ways to improve the efficiency of these conversion processes. "I have worked on biofuels for more than 45 years and have studied many potential feedstocks," Holtzapple said. "Nothing comes close to prickly pear.
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