Review: Analytical Extraction Methods, Physicochemical Properties and Chemical Composition of Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) Seed Oil and Its Biological Activity

ABSTRACT

Physicochemical parameters, nutritional composition and therapeutic effect of Opuntia ficus-indica seed oil extracted by different standard extraction techniques were reviewed. Cactus seeds contain between 3.4 and 14.4% oil with linoleic acid and oleic acid as major fatty acids. The most prominent triacylglycerols are trilinolein (LLL), dilinoleic-monoolein (LLO), dilinoleic-monopalmitin (LLP) and dioleinic-monolinolein (OOL). γ-tocopherol amounts to 90% and higher of the total tocopherols. The main phytosterol is β-sitosterol varying from 71.6% to 79.1% of the total content (0.9–16.06 g/kg). The most dominant volatile compounds are aldehydes. Cactus seed oil is rich in phenolic compounds, where vanillin, syringaldehyde, and ferulaldehyde are the main representatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity
• cactus seed oil
• fatty acid composition
• phenolic compounds
• tocopherols
• volatile compounds

Acknowledgments

The authors grateful thank for the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture within project 2819DOKA03 and the project management by TPBLE.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The project is supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the innovation support programme (2819DOKA03) Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft.