Peeled Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica as a Superior Plant-Based Culture Medium for Enhanced Microbial Cultivation.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Nutrition and Agro-Food Technology, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, Ibn Khaldoun University, Tiaret, Algeria.
- 2Biodiversity, Health, and Valorization of Biological Resources Laboratory, Tiaret, Algeria.
- 3Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, Ibn Khaldoun University, Tiaret, Algeria.
- 4Agro-Industrial Chemistry Laboratory, Toulouse 31030, France.
Abstract
Background
Conventional microbiological media often present drawbacks such as high costs, reliance on non-sustainable resources, and limitations in supporting diverse microbial species. This study addresses these challenges by exploring a novel plant-based culture medium.Objective
This study aimed to develop and evaluate two specific formulations of culture media from Opuntia ficus-indica: Medium A, using whole cladode powder, and Medium B, using peeled cladode powder.Materials and methods
Two Opuntia-based culture media were formulated: Medium A from whole cladode powder and Medium B from peeled cladode powder. The organoleptic and chemical properties of each medium were determined. In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the effect of these novel media on bacterial and fungal growth and survival.Results
Medium B, formulated from peeled cladode powder, demonstrated significantly superior performance, supporting approximately 61% more bacterial colonies for E. coli and 57% more for S. aureus, along with 44% and 64% increases in fungal radial growth rates for Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively, compared to Medium A. The organoleptic properties and chemical composition of Medium B also met the standards for an effective plant-based culture medium.Conclusion
The findings indicate that the novel culture medium based on peeled cladode not only enhances microbial culturability but also holds strong potential as a sustainable, effective, and low-cost alternative for routine microbiological cultivation and biotechnology applications.
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BibTeX
@article{khaled2026peeled,
title = {{Peeled Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica as a Superior Plant-Based Culture Medium for Enhanced Microbial Cultivation.}},
author = {Boufares Khaled and Dahlia Fatima and Boubakeur Badra and Othmane Merah},
journal = {Iranian journal of biotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.30498/ijb.2026.515757.4116},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928813},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Peeled Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica as a Superior Plant-Based Culture Medium for Enhanced Microbial Cultivation.
AU - Boufares Khaled
AU - Dahlia Fatima
AU - Boubakeur Badra
AU - Othmane Merah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Iranian journal of biotechnology
DO - 10.30498/ijb.2026.515757.4116
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928813
AB - Background Conventional microbiological media often present drawbacks such as high costs, reliance on non-sustainable resources, and limitations in supporting diverse microbial species. This study addresses these challenges by exploring a novel plant-based culture medium.Objective This study aimed to develop and evaluate two specific formulations of culture media from Opuntia ficus-indica: Medium A, using whole cladode powder, and Medium B, using peeled cladode powder.Materials and methods Two Opuntia-based culture media were formulated: Medium A from whole cladode powder and Medium B from peeled cladode powder. The organoleptic and chemical properties of each medium were determined. In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the effect of these novel media on bacterial and fungal growth and survival.Results Medium B, formulated from peeled cladode powder, demonstrated significantly superior performance, supporting approximately 61% more bacterial colonies for E. coli and 57% more for S. aureus, along with 44% and 64% increases in fungal radial growth rates for Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively, compared to Medium A. The organoleptic properties and chemical composition of Medium B also met the standards for an effective plant-based culture medium.Conclusion The findings indicate that the novel culture medium based on peeled cladode not only enhances microbial culturability but also holds strong potential as a sustainable, effective, and low-cost alternative for routine microbiological cultivation and biotechnology applications.
SN - 1728-3043
SN - 2322-2921
ER -