South African Cactus Pear Seed Oil: A Comprehensive Study on 42 Spineless Burbank Opuntia ficus‐indica and Opuntia robusta Cultivars

• Published in: European journal of lipid science and technology 2018-03, Vol.120 (3), p.n/a
• Main Authors: de Wit, Maryna, Hugo, Arno, Shongwe, Nokuthula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arid regions; cactus pear; Chemical composition; Composition effects; cultivar; Cultivars; Drought; Essential oils; Farms; Fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Fruits; Genotype & phenotype; Linoleic acid; oil; Oils & fats; Oleic acid; Opuntia ficus-indica; Opuntia robusta; Principal components analysis; Rainfall; season; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Seeds; Statistical analysis; Stearic acid; Vitamin E; Yield
• ISSN: 1438-7697; 1438-9312
• DOI: 10.1002/ejlt.201700343

Cactus pear fruit seeds contain oil that can be utilized for human consumption. Forty‐two South African cultivars are evaluated over two seasons for seed oil content and fatty acid composition in an attempt to ascertain the best oil yielding cultivar. Seed oil content varied among cultivars and seasons and the yield ranged between 4.09 and 8.76% of seed mass. The unsaturated fatty acids are the most prominent and were dominated by linoleic acid, which varied between 56.86 and 65.21%, followed by oleic acid (16.44 and 22.51%), while the saturated fatty acids palmitic and stearic acid content ranged from 12.72 to 16.05% and from 2.21 to 3.39%, respectively. Cultivar and variation in rainfall have a statistically significant effect on cactus pear seed oil content and fatty acid composition. Principal Component Analysis show that certain cultivars are exclusively associated with specific characteristics. This is the most comprehensive study of the seed oil characteristics of the available cultivars in South Africa ever to be performed. The American Giant cultivar have the highest seed oil yield. Practical Applications: In a semi‐arid country such as South Africa, the value of by‐products and waste products from a drought resistant plant such as cactus pear should be emphasized. Cactus pear seed oil is a novel and expensive essential oil. The emergence of many small‐holding farms and small‐scale processing facilities necessitated a comprehensive investigation into the oil composition of all the available cactus pear cultivars. Essential knowledge regarding cultivar choice in terms of oil‐production and specific fatty acid composition, as well as seasonal effects thereon, is generated with this research. This research indicats that the American Giant (Opuntia ficus‐indica) cultivar have the highest oil yield wheras the Roly Poly cultivar have the highest linoleic acid content. This data will enable processors to make recommendations to producers to use cultivars with optimum yield and oil quality as production target. Cactus pear fruit seeds contain oil that can be utilized for human consumption. Forty‐two South African cultivars are evaluated over two seasons for seed oil content and fatty acid composition in an attempt to ascertain the best oil yielding cultivar. Cactus pear fruit seeds contain oil that can be utilized for human consumption. Forty‐two South African cultivars are evaluated over two seasons for seed oil content and fatty acid composition in an a