Essential Oil
Carrier or vegtetable oil
Plant straight powder
Ratio extracts
Standardized plant extracts
| Commercial name | Prickly pear seed oil |
| CAS # | 90082-21-6 |
| Botanical name | Opuntia ficus-Indica |
| Plant part | Seed |
| Origin | Morocco |
| Manufacturing place | Morocco |
Prickly Pear Oil
This cactus plant of the Cactaceae family [1], originated from Mexico, was introduced into North Africa in the 16th century [2]. Nowadays, Opuntia Ficus Indica grows everywhere in Morocco.
Seeds contained in the pulp, accounts for 2 to 10% [3,4]. And it was reported that oil content varies according to the origin of the seed. The Italian cultivar was about 9.14% [5] when Moroccan one contain between 5 to 6%. The Tunisian cultivar has about 11% [8], South African one 5-6% and Chinese 6% [10].
So, we can conclude that the oil content in the prickly seed will be between 5 to 10% according to the cultivar used for the extraction. And finally, we can say that to get 1 kg of oil, between 300 and 500kg of fresh fruits will be needed.
The oil processed from the seeds is characterized by a high degree of unsaturation wherein linoleic acid is the major fatty acid (56.1–77%). Oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) acids can count for more than 80% [8] of the total fatty acids.
The sterol fraction is usually about 1% of TL withβ-sitosterol as sterol marker, representing 72% of the total sterol content in seed oil.
- IDENTIFICATION DATA
- SPECIFICATION
- STEROLS AND VITAMINS E COMPOSITIONposition
- APPLICATIONS
- PROPERTIES
- TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS
- REFERENCES
IDENTIFICATION DATA
SPECIFICATION
| Parameters | Limits | Test methods |
| Acid Value | < 4% | P.E. 2.5.1 |
| Peroxide Value | < 10 mEq/Kg | P.E. 2.5.5 |
| Saponification value | 192-195 | AOCS Cd 1-85 |
| Insoluble Impurities | < 0.001% | AOCS Ca 3a-46 |
| Linoleic Acid | 55-65% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
| Oleic Acid | 15-30% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
| Palmitic Acid | 10-15% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
| Stearic Acid | 2-5% | AOCS Ce 1e-91 |
STEROLS AND VITAMINS E COMPOSITIONposition
| Parameters | Limits | Test methods |
| Total sterols (mg/100g) | 9.33 | PE 2.4.23 |
| Campestrol | 1.0 – 2.0 % | |
| Beta-sitosterol | 60-70% | |
| Total Tocopherols (mg/100g) | 100-110 | AOCS Ce 8-89 |
| Alpha-Tocopherol | 0-1% | |
| Beta-Tocopherol | 0-0.5% | |
| Gamma-Tocopherol | 3-5% |
APPLICATIONS
Moisturizers
Anti-Aging Products
Hair Care
Nail Care
Lip Care
PROPERTIES
Rich in Vitamin E
Potent Anti-Oxidant
Good Source of Alpha (α-), Beta (β-) and Sigma (δ-) Tocopherols
Strong Anti-Inflammatory
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS
| Product description | Product specification | IFRA 48 |
REFERENCES
(1) Reyes Aguero, J. A., Aguirre-Riveran, J. R., Hernandez, H. M., Systematic Notes and a detailed description of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) MILL. (Cactacteae), Agrociencia, 39 (2005) 395-408.
(2) Griffiths, P., The origins of an important cactus crops, Opuntia ficus-indica (Cactaceae): new molecular evidence. Am. J. Bot., 91 (2004) 1915-1921.
(3) Arrizon, J., Calderon, C., Sandoval, G., Effect of different fermentation conditions on the kinetic parameters and production of volatile compounds during the elaboration of a prickly pear distilled beverage. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 33 (11) (2006) 921-928.
(4) Piga, A., Cactus Pear: a fruit of nutraceutical and functional importance. J. Prof. Assoc. Cactus Dev, 6 (2004) 9-22.
(5) Salvo, F., Galati, E. M., Lo Curto, S., Tripodo, M. M., Study on the chemical characterization of lipid composition of Opuntia ficus indica L. seed oil. Riv. Ital. Sostanze grasse, 79 (2002) 395-398.
(6) Sawaya, W. N., Khan, P.. Chemical characrterization of prickly pear seed oil, Opuntia ficus-indica. Journal of Food Science, 47 (1982) 2060-2061.
(7) Stintzing, F. C., Schieber, A. & Carle, R., Cactus pear, a promising component of functional food. Obst, Gemu ̈se und Kartoffelverarbeitung , 85 (1) (2000) 40-47.
(8) Ennouri, M., Evelyne, B., Laurence, M., Hamadi, A., Fatty acid composition and rheological behaviour of prickly per seed oils. Food Chem, 93 (2005) 431-437.
(9) Labuschagne, M. and Hugo, A., South Africa, oil content and fatty acid composition of cactus pear seed compared with cotton and grape seed. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 34 (1) (2010) 93-100.
(10) Wei, L., Yu-Jie, F., Yuan-Gang, Z., Mei-Hong, T., Nan, W., Xiao-Lei, L., Su, Z., Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of seed oil from Opuntia dillenii Haw and its antioxidant activity. Food Chemistry, 114(2009) 334-339.
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