Abstract
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill, a plant native to Mexico, belongs to the family Cactaceae. This plant grows in semi-arid and arid climates and is of great economic interest. Most of the approximately 1500 species of the Opuntia genus contain beneficial components to health. The chemical composition and biological activities of different parts of the prickly pear, including cladodes, flowers, fruits, seeds, and seed oil, have been studied. Seed oil is known for its health benefits and also for its richness in bioactive molecules, which vary according to their extraction methods and also by the environment and the climatic conditions. The seed oils are characterized by its richness in linolic acids, phenolic acids, and γ-tocopherol and also by its remarkable antioxidant activity. This richness in active biomolecules could allow Opuntia spp. seeds to find new applications in the cosmetic, medicinal, and food industries. This chapter is an effort to cover the phytochemicals of Opuntia seed oil processing by-products.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AFNOR (French Standards Association) 1981–1982: Collection of French standards fats, oilseeds, derivatives NF 03-720, NF VO3-903, NF T60-204, NT T 60-223, NF. T 60-205 and NF T60-203. Paris, defense. 327 p
AFNOR (Association française de normalisation),NF EN ISO 5508.1995. Gas phase chromatographic analysis of the methyl esters of fatty acids, AFNOR, 7p
Nassar AG (2008) Chemical composition and functional properties of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) seeds flour and protein concentrate. World J Dairy Food Sci 3:11–16
Ramadan MF, Mörsel JT (2003) Oil cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.). Food Chem 83:339–345
Benabdelkader Tarek T (2012) Biodiversity, organic activity and terpene biosynthesis of volatile compounds winged lavender, Lavandula stoechas sensu lato, a complex of Mediterranean species of pharmacological interest. Plant biology. Université Jean Monnet – Saint-Etienne; ENS Kouba (Algiers), higher than normal Kouba (Algiers), 283p
Coskuner Y, Tekin A (2003) Monitoring of seed composition of Prickly pear (Opuntia ficusindica L.) fruit during maturation period. J Sci Food Agric 83(8):846–849
Ennouri M, Evelyne B, Laurence M, Hamadi A (2005) Fatty acid composition and rheological behavior of prickly pear seed oil. Food Chem 93:431–437
Kamel BS, Kakuda Y (2000) Fatty acids in fruits and fruit products. In: Chow CK (ed) Fatty acids in foods and their health implications, 2nd edn. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 239–270
Karleskind, A. (1992) Manuel des corps gras, Ed : Tec et Doc : Lavoisier, Vol 36 (6),. Paris, 1571 p
Sawaya WN, Khan P (1982) Chemical characterization of prickly pear seed oil, Opuntia ficus indica. J Food Sci 47:2060–2061
El Mannoubi I, Barrek S, Skanji T, Casabianca H, Zarrouk H (2009) Characterization of Opuntia ficus indica seed oil from Tunisia. Chem Nat Compd 45:616
Karabagias VK, Karabagias IK, Gatzias I, Badeka AV (2020) Prickly pear seed oil by shelf-grown cactus fruits: waste or maste? Processes 8:132
Regalado-Rentería E, Aguirre-Rivera JR, González-Chávez MM, Sánchez-Sánchez R, Martínez-Gutiérrez F, Juárez-Flore BI (2020) Assessment of extraction methods and biological value of seed oil from eight variants of prickly pear fruit (Opuntia spp.). Waste Biomass Valoriz 11:1181–1189
Yeddes N, Chérif JK, Jrad A, Barth D, Trabelsi-Ayadi M (2012) Supercritical SC-CO2 and Soxhletn-hexane extract of Tunisian Opuntia ficus indica seeds and fatty acids analysis. J. Lipids:914693
Zito P, Sajeva M, Bruno M, Rosselli S, Maggio A, Senatore F (2013) Essential oils composition of two Sicilian cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.(Cactaceae) fruits (prickly pear). Nat Prod Res 27:1305–1314
Al-Naqeb G, Fiori L, Ciolli M, Aprea E (2021) Prickly pear seed oil extraction, chemical characterization and potential health benefits. Molecules 26:5018. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26165018
Khémiri I, Bitri L (2019) Effectiveness of Opuntia ficus indica L. inermis seed oil in the protection and the healing of experimentally induced gastric mucosa ulcer. Oxidative Med Cell Longev 2019:1568720
Gharby S, Ravi HK, Guillaume D, Vian MA, Chemat F, Charrouf Z (2020) 2-methyloxolane as alternative solvent for lipid extraction and its effect on the cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) seed oil fractions. OCL 27:1–7
Harhar H, Gharby S, Guillaume D, Charrouf Z (2010) Effect of argan kernel storage conditions on argan oil quality. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 112:915–920
Brahmi F, Haddad S, Bouamara K, Yalaoui-Guellal D, Prost-Camus E, Barros JP, Prost M, Atanasov A, Madani K, Boulekbache-Makhlouf L et al (2020) Comparison of chemical composition and biological activities of Algerian seed oils of Pistacia lentiscus L., Opuntia ficus indica (L.) mill. and Argania spinosa L. Skeels. Ind Crop Prod 151:112456
Boukeloua A, Belkhiri A, Djerrou Z, Bahri L, Boulebda N, Hamdi Pacha Y (2012) Acute toxicity of Opuntia ficus indica and Pistacia lentiscus seed oils in mice. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med 9:607–611
Chougui N, Tamendjari A, Hamidj W, Hallal S, Barras A, Richard T, Larbat R (2013) Oil composition and characterisation of phenolic compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica seeds. Food Chem 139:796–803
Kolniak-Ostek J, Kita A, Miedzianka J, Andreu-Coll L, Legua P, Hernandez F (2020) Characterization of bioactive compounds of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) mill. Seeds from Spanish cultivars. Molecules 25:5734
Abdel-Fattah MS, Badr SEA, Khalil EM, Elsaid AS (2020) Feed efficiency, some blood parameters and In-vitro chemoprevention of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica L.) seeds oil growing in Egypt. IBSPR 8:20–28
Khémiri I, Hédi BE, Zouaoui NS, Gdara NB, Bitri L (2019) The antimicrobial and wound healing potential of Opuntia ficus indica L. inermis extracted oil from Tunisia. Evid Based Complement Altern Med 2019:9148782
Becer E, Kabadayı H, Meriçli F, Meriçli AH, Kıvançlı B, Vatansever S (2018) Apoptotic effects of Opuntia ficus indica L. seed oils on colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. Proceedings 2:1566
De Wit M, Hugo A, Shongwe N (2017) South African cactus pear seed oil: a comprehensive study on 42 spineless Burbankn Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntiarobusta cultivars. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 120:1700343
Al-Naqeb G (2015) Effect of prickly pear cactus seeds oil on the blood glucose level of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and itsmolecular mechanisms. Int J Herb Med 3:29–34
Taoufik F, Zine S, El Hadek M, Idrissi Hassani LM, Gharby S, Harhar H, Matthäus B (2015) Oil content and main constituents ofcactus seed oils opuntia ficus indica of different origin in Morocco. Mediterr J Nutr Metab 8:85–92
Matthäus B, Özcan MM (2011) Habitat effects on yield, fatty acid composition and tocopherol contents of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) seed oils. Sci Hortic 131:95–98
Ciriminna R, Bongiorno D, Scurria A, Danzì C, Timpanaro G, Delisi R, Avellone G, Sicilian PM (2017) Opuntia ficus-indica seed oil: fatty acid composition and bio-economical aspects. Eur J Lipid Sci Technol 119:1700232
Chaalal M, Touati N, Louaileche H (2012) Extraction of phenolic compounds and in vitro antioxidant capacity of prickly pear seeds. Acta Bot Gall 159:467–475
Shahidi F, de Camargo AC (2016) Tocopherols and tocotrienols in common and emerging dietary sources: occurrence, applications,and health benefits. Int J Mol Sci 17:1745
El Kharrassi Y, El Maaidan E, Chakhchar A, Lamaoui M, Bourhim T, Mabrouk A, Essamadi AK, Moustaid K, Nasser B (2020) Physicochemical, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of juice and seed oil of cactus pear Opuntia aequatorialis and Opuntia leucotricha. Vegetos 33:682–689
El Kharrassi Y, Samadi M, Lopez T, Nury T, El Kebbaj R, Andreoletti P, El Hajj HI, Vamecq J, Moustaid K, Latruffe N et al (2014) Biological activities of Schottenol and Spinasterol, two natural phytosterols present in argan oil and in cactus pear seed oil, on murine miroglial BV2 cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 446:798–804
Bardaa S, Turki M, Ben Khedir S, Mzid M, Rebai T, Ayadi F, Sahnoun Z (2020) The effect of prickly pear, pumpkin, and linseed oils on biological mediators of acute inflammation and oxidative stress markers. Biomed Res Int 2020:5643465
Ramírez-Moreno E, Cariño-Cortés R, Cruz-Cansino ND, Delgado-Olivares L, Ariza-Ortega JA, Montañez-Izquierdo VY, Hernández-Herrero MM, Filardo-Kerstupp T (2017) Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of cactus pear (Opuntia) seed oils. J Food Qual 2017:3075907
Ennouri M, Fetoui H, Bourret E, Zeghal N, Attia H (2006) Evaluation of some biological parameters of Opuntia ficus indica. 1.Influence of a seed oil supplemented diet on rats. Bioresour Technol 97:1382–1386
Ait El Cadi M, Makram S, Ansar M, Khabbal Y, Alaoui K, Faouzi MA, Cherrah Y, Taoufik J (2012) Anti-inflammatory activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Zygophyllum gaetulum. Ann Pharm Fr 70:113–116
Berraaouan A, Abderrahim Z, Hassane M, Abdelkhaleq L, Mohammed A, Mohamed B (2015) Evaluation of protective effect of cactus pear seed oil (Opuntia ficus-indica L. MILL.) against alloxan-induced diabetes in mice. Asian Pac J. Trop. Med 8:532–537
Cheikhyoussef N, Cheikhyoussef A, Ramadan MF, Hussein AA (2021) Opuntia spp. seed oil. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_33
De Wit M, Hugo A (2021) Innovation technologies for extracting Opuntia spp. seed oil. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_25
De Wit M, Hugo A (2021) Food and non-food applications of Opuntia spp. seed oil. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_48
Ramadan MF (2021) Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Bioactive ingredients and phyto-constituents. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_12
Villacís-Chiriboga J, Elst K, Van Camp J, Vera E, Ruales J (2020) Valorization of by-products from tropical fruits: extraction methodologies, applications, environmental and economic assessment – a review (Part 1: general overview of the by-products, traditional biorefinery practices and possible applications). Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 19(2):405–447
Argan Oil Direct (2020) Prickly pear cactus oil. https://arganoildirect.com/prickly-pear-cactus-seed-oil
Joslin T (2017) Prickly pear seed oil skin benefits-why your skin will love it!. https://www.indagare-beauty.com/blogs/blog-landing/prickly-pear-seed-oil-skin-benefits-why-your-skin-will-love-it
Opuntia Luxury Oils. (2020). Prickly pear seed oil. https://opuntialuxuryoils.com/pages/opuntia-plant
Healthline. (2020). About prickly pear seed oil. https://www.healthline.com/health/carrier-oiledible?
Ramadan MF, Mörsel JT (2003) Oil cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.). Food Chem 82:339–345. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2980.2565
Daya, S. (2020). Beauty benefits of prickly pear seed oil. https://www.victoriahealth.com/editorial/beauty-benefits-of-prickly-pear
Battermann, M., & Thomas, H. (2014). Composition, useful for treating keratin fibers, preferably human hair, comprises Opuntia ficus-indica seed oil, silicones comprising, e.g., alkoxylated silicones, and/or dimethiconols, and aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic carrier. Henkel AG and Co KGaA, Patent No. DE102013212623A1, Germany
Al Zahabi S, Sakr OS, Ramadan AA (2019) Nanostructured lipid carriers incorporating prickly pear seed oil for the encapsulation of vitamin A. J Cosmet Dermatol 18:1875–1884. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12891
Hssaini L, Hanine H, Charafi J, Razouk R, Elantari A, Ennahli S et al (2020) First report on fatty acids composition, total phenolics and antioxidant activity in seeds oil of four fig cultivars (Ficus carica L.) grown in Morocco. OCL 27:8. https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2020003
Alsaad AJ, Altemimi AB, Aziz SN, Lakhssassi N (2019) Extraction and identification of cactus Opuntia dillenii seed oil and its added value for human health benefits. Pharm J 11(3):579–587. https://doi.org/10.5530/pj.2019.11.92
Sánchez-Vega R, Chávez-Martínez A, Tirado-Gallegos JM, Reyes-Jurado F, Ochoa-Velasco CE, Avila-Sosa R (2021) Opuntia spp. Products and by-products as a potential source of edible films and coatings. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_39
Guevara-Arauza JC (2021) Industrial uses of Opuntia spp. by-products. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_37
Ramadan MF, Moussa Ayoub TE, Rohn S (2021) Introduction to Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. In: Ramadan MF, Ayoub TEM, Rohn S (eds) Opuntia spp.: chemistry, bioactivity and industrial applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78444-7_1
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Zourgui, M.N., Ben Lataief, S., Ben Dhifi, M., Agil, A., Zourgui, L. (2023). Bioactive Phytochemicals from Cactus (Opuntia) Seed Oil Processing By-products. In: Ramadan Hassanien, M.F. (eds) Bioactive Phytochemicals from Vegetable Oil and Oilseed Processing By-products. Reference Series in Phytochemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91381-6_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91381-6_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-91380-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-91381-6
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics