Nopales and tuna fruit: to cook or not to cook?

Hi all! I'm just wondering if there are any science-minded folks out there who can weigh in on nutritional differences when cooking or not cooking cactus. I have a batch of tuna fruit in the freezer that I would like to juice.  The very easiest way is to cook it to neutralize the glochids, but I want to make the most of all that great nutrition. Does anyone know if cooking destroys the antioxidants, and if so,  to what extent?  I couldn't find anything about this on the web.

Thanks!

Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico!
I was really excited to see your post as I've been meaning to start a thread on cooking cactus. I've lived in Oaxaca for 25 years now (half my life!) and I truly believe eating cactus is part of the way forward.

I did, however, have to google the word, glochids, and see that's the little spiny balls, how did you get tunas into your freezer without removing those?
What you do with tunas--most nopal tunas actually don't have a lot of spines, not like pitayas, and other organ-type-cactus fruits.

Next time before freezing the tunas, holding with tongs if necessary, slice the top off, then slice just through the skin the long way. The skin--glochids and all, will then easily peel away from the fruit. If you accidentally slice all the way through, you can then scoop each half of the fruit out with a sturdy spoon.

Now as to your question--I'm not science-minded but can read in Spanish, in fact, translate for Mexican academics including a few food scientists.  The only thing I've ever known of coming from a cooked tuna is syrup and jam.  The tuna is the fruit and has the texture of watermelon. So it will completely dissolve if you cook it (even within the peel) this video suggests that we can make a tea out of the peel, but it's the first I've ever heard of that.  You can also see in this vide at 2:15, what I said about how to peel it.
When it comes to eating the pads of the nopal plant, most people consume a variety that has minimum spines. And even cooked, these must be removed first.

I just whisked them around in my colander to remove most of the spines, then washed and froze them. The native tribes in our area use a similar method for removing spines from cholla buds using a basket and broom.  Super easy but doesn't get rid of 100% of spines.

I ended up processing twice, once uncooked and once cooked, for 2 batches of juice.

First batch: lined colander with tshirt and placed over bowl. The tuna release their juice as they thaw.  Took all day to thaw, even in the summer heat, so I had to finish the process in the fridge overnight.  The tshirt wicked more than I liked, so next time will cut and go with only one layer. Then twisted and squeezed out what I could by hand. Toward the end of this process got the most of the mucilogenous juice that is really great.

Second batch.  Placed remaining tuna in pan and covered with water.  Simmered for 20 min. Mashed with potato masher. Ran through tshirt.  This batch was not as good as the first but was still nice and strong. The cooking broke down a lot more of the tuna.  I suspect that some of the health benefits are lost in cooking, but since it was a bonus batch,  I'll take it!

Next time I'll definitely try the peeling method. That sounds handy, especially for eating the fresh fruit.  I don't know what variety I have.  We have sooo many that grow wild here, but I have one in my back yard with really big pads that makes such tasty fruit. It's nice and tart. So braving the spines is definitely worth it.

Do you have any tricks for separating out the seeds without losing too much pulp?

I mixed some of the juice with coconut milk and a touch of honey and lime to make popsicles. So great in the summer heat!  And I saved some,  of course, for fresh drinking.  Yum!

People just eat the seeds here-like guava. Keeps you regular!

Melissa Ferrin wrote:People just eat the seeds here-like guava. Keeps you regular!

I read that you shouldn't eat them because they can cause blockages.  It's interesting that they're commonly eaten in Oaxaca.  I've seen some articles where people blend or process the whole fruit, seeds included, but supposedly it throws the flavor off. Haven't tried it yet. I wonder if the seeds of some varieties are more digestible.  The seeds in mine are substantial and quite hard.