Abstract
Cacti species are attractive to consumers because of their excellent flavor and color. The food industry is interested in their nutritional, bioactive, and technological properties. Therefore, the use of cacti in human food has been analyzed through patent documents, emphasizing their role in worldwide food production. The search was conducted using INPI and Espacenet databases. Eighty-five documents were analyzed for document characteristics (year of filing, country of origin, inventors, applicants, and IPC and CPC codes) and invention characteristics (cactus species, parts used, and application purposes). Beverages, jellies, and bakery products have been developed; however, most patents do not specify the parts or species of cacti used. The application of cactus in food product development is still incipient, considering the number of patents recovered. However, the growing global concerns about food and health are changing, showing the extent of cacti use for food and nutraceutical development and their application as a food additive.