Prickly pear cactus seed products are steadily making their way into the health and cosmetic world due to their unique properties in skin care thanks to high amounts of vitamins and antioxidants. It does everything argan oil does and more, but better, especially thanks to the high content of vitamin E, fatty oils and antioxidant properties. Prickly pear cactus seed oil is the product of a very laborious process and is among the most sought-after and expensive oils in the world. The oil (Nopal) is made from the seeds of the Opuntia cactus known as the prickly pear cactus. The prickly pear cactus can become very big, up to five meters and more and has numerous branches with oval discs of half a meter long and up to 20 cm wide or more. The plant has stinging bristles with small thorns on them, which can cause inflammatory reactions. When a disc falls on the ground, the plant can multiply itself and new cacti pop up. On the cactus we can often find many hermaphrodictic flowers. The cactus’ flowers are radially symmetrical and arise at the edges of the shoot sections. They are usually solitary and vary in color. The outer tepals are green to yellow and tinted on the margins with the color of the inner tepals, which are pale yellow to orange and pink to red and purple in color, respectively. The flowers are rarely white or have a different color at the base. The stamens are usually yellow or green and are arranged in a circle or spiral around the style, usually green or yellow, but may be pink, red, or orange.
Prickly pear is actually the name of the fruit and is usually between five and ten centimeters long and the color ranges from green to yellow and orange to red, on both the inside and outside. The shape of the prickly pear is also variable, from rounded to elongated. The number of seeds is very high; around 300 for a 160 g fruit. On the skin of the fruit we can find spines. The fruits are usually harvested with a knife and can be scooped out. The result is a juicy flesh with seeds, which can be eaten. Even the cactus discs of the prickly pear cactus can be cooked and eaten. The young green shoots are used as a vegetable in Mexico, where it is also used in tortilla flour. Depending on the variety, the flesh has a sweet and sour taste. In many countries it is used as a hedge around properties against intruders, but it is also used for cattle not to escape.
Besides being consumed as an edible, prickly pear fruit is also used in essential oil and is quickly gaining popularity in the health sector for its benefits on the skin. It is also used as a cooking oil in some places like Morocco. Prickly pear oil is rich in linoleic acid, an Omega 6 type fatty acid. The fruits and flowers of the prickly pear contain a large amount of vitamin C and also copper, magnesium and iron and are said to be reducing blood glucose, cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels. The prickly pear seed essential oil and other products are said to have many healing and anti-aging properties. Prickly pear seed oil is used in day cream, after-sun, anti-wrinkle cream and anti-stretch mark products.
Indeed, prickly pear oil is rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as active ingredients known for their antioxidant properties, thus acting against skin aging. The powers of prickly pear cactus oil would exceed those of argan oil. Moisturizing, nourishing and softening, prickly pear oil has, among other things, 65% polyunsaturated fatty acids (against 33% for argan), as well as a level of vitamin E (antioxidant) greater than 100 mg/100 g, against 65 mg for argan. Prickly pear oil is rapidly absorbed by the skin due to the high amount of fatty acids in the oil. As the oil is rich in antioxidants, which are important for our skin cell renewal and nourishes and hydrates skin, it keeps your skin moist and healthy. Prickly pear is also a source of vitamin k, which is used to brighten your skin and thanks to the high betalain levels they are super antioxidants. The oil helps with free radicals, preventing wrinkles and keeping your skin healthy. It is the perfect product for a very sensitive and dry skin. The benefits of the prickly pear make this product truly unique and valuable and the fruit is getting more and more recognition by the day with new cosmetic companies showing interest in using this wonderful ingredient in their formulas, essential oil being one of the top ingredients.
In Mexico, the prickly pear cactus is also used for tortilla flour and there are now the first trials with the waste being used as a biofuel. These are also interesting projects to explore in Madagascar where it could be grown in desertified regions on a larger scale for these purposes. The pulp and juice are also great to use into energy drinks, providing much needed vitamins.
The prickly pear cactus is native to Mexico, where it is known as nopal, and can be found worldwide in frost-free, dry areas such as the Mediterranean, Africa, Australia and Latin-America, but also in North-America. Prickly pear seed oil is historically mostly produced in Morocco and Tunisia and as a food ingredient it is mostly consumed in Central America, especially Mexico, where it is widely grown and used.
Prickly pears were introduced in Madagascar by the end of the 1700’s near Fort Dauphin and spread in the south of the island for the last century. The prickly pear cactus (raketa) is an important plant as it contains food and water for livestock and humans and is often found around villages, farms and plantations and stores large amounts of water (92% of moisture content). The south-west of Madagascar faces a lot of poverty, especially between November and April, when food resources and income are low and harvest is months ahead. It is then used as food and also to feed cattle.
The cactus pear is one of the most valuable plants in the region and the extraction of the cactus oil can generate an extra income for the locals. The average household in the south has enough plant material to produce up to 2 liters of oil, which is a great income. As there are several species of Opuntia, it is important that the ones with a high nutritional value keep being cultivated for its original purpose and to select the varieties which are not interesting as a food source for the production of prickly pear cactus seed oil. So when we establish relationships with the locals and collect our prickly pear seeds we tell them we are only interested in those kinds of varieties. This is important to keep the trade of prickly pear sustainable and responsible.
For our prickly pear cactus seeds, we have a broad network in the south of Madagascar in which we are in contact with several families and farmers. The villagers harvest the prickly pears with a sharp stick and collect them in baskets. In the next step, they separate the thorns from the fruit and then take out the seeds from the fruit by hand. The cactus seeds are then hand-washed and sun dried to perfection. The juice and the pulp from the cactus are not thrown, but are consumed, so nothing goes to waste. We go collect the seeds and bring them to our warehouse where they undergo one last inspection for impurities. Afterwards the seeds are ready to undergo the mechanical oil processing which is known as cold press in which the oil is pressed out of the material. This means our prickly pear seed oil is made without solvents and is completely free of chemicals and other additives.
We are currently the only company in Madagascar exporting prickly pear seed essential oil made by cactus fruits collected in the southern region of the country. Our cactus fruits are made into essential oil by cold press method in the towns of Toliara and Fianarantsoa and then shipped abroad, either by plane or by boat, depending on the quantity and clients’ wishes.
Our production keeps on growing and at the moment is already being used by cosmetic brands and online retail stores. The more we export, the more local farmers can benefit from this trade. We are proud to say that our prickly pear essential oil is 100 percent organic, made without the use of solvents or other chemicals and additives. And furthermore, we are also proud to say that all of our products come directly from local farmers, who can make a good extra income on this beautiful product.
Our company is open for new clients and we’re happy to share the highest quality of prickly pear seed oil on the market at competitive price. We supply bulk and wholesale amounts for customers around the world. Besides oil, you can also contact us for wholesale amounts of prickly pear seeds, which we can provide per 100 kg. Let us know if you’re interested in wholesale amounts by e-mail and we’ll come back to you with an attractive proposition.