Prickly Pear Seed Oil Facts - so that you can make the right decision!

In order for you to buy the best prickly pear seed oil pay attention to the origin of the raw material of the prickly pear seeds and the method of oil extraction!

In order to extract prickly pear seed oil hard, careful and complex work is required. But not only the care during the amount of work, but also the origin of the seeds and the method of extraction are crucial for prickly pear seed oil of premium quality.

The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) originates probably from Mexico – today we can find it around the Mediterranean Sea and Morocco. For its exquisite taste and juiciness it needs a specific climate. Also the seeds of such prickly pears, which prosper in the ideal climate, are richer in content and produce high quality oil. The climate conditions are very hot summers with more than 40 °C, mild winters in which the temperature does not drop below 10 °C to 17 °C and mild humidity.

1. Origin

We can find the most ideal climate conditions for the best prickly pear oil in Morocco in the area of Sidi Ifni and El Kelaa of the Sraghna/Ben Guerir. Sidi Ifni is at the sea in the southwest of Morocco, southwest of Tiznit. El Kelaa of the Sraghna and Ben Guerir are in the region of Marrakech- the small Atlas Mountains at the transition to the continental Sahara climate in the southeast and south.

2. Machine Extracted

• Prickly pear seed oil from gentle machine extraction maintains its naturalness. This means it has a high amount of active ingredients, a soft texture, lush, green color and a light greasy odor and taste.
• It is perfectly suitable as cooking oil.
• The low yield, the richness in active ingredients and the quality of the prickly pear seeds place the machine extracted prickly pear seed oil in a very high price range.

3. Macerate

• Prickly pear seed oil is not to be confused with prickly pear blossom oil, which is a macerate. Here, the blossoms of the prickly pear are put in low-quality oil for a certain amount of time. The oil (solvent) detracts certain active ingredients from the blossom and absorbs them. The oil won from this is sold as prickly pear oil.
• Color, texture and durability of the prickly pear blossom oil is the same as the durability of the carrier oil.
• Lowest price range.

4. Chemical Extraction

• Low-quality prickly pear seed oil is won through chemical extraction by exposing powdered prickly pear seeds to a harmful solvent, such as hexane. Prickly pear seed oil is won with a higher yield, but it contains traces of hexane that is detracted by heating the oil. Through the addition of heat the prickly pear seed oil looses a big amount if its valuable active ingredients, such as vitamins and antioxidants, which are replaced by addition of synthetic antioxidants and ingredients.
• Remain of a small but unhealthy rest of solvent in the oil;
• Distinguishing feature of the lower quality of the prickly pear seed oil extracted like this is the light yellow color, the low amount of moisture, active ingredients and antioxidants;
• Not suitable as cooking oil!
• The high yield, the low amount of active ingredients and the remain of harmful substances place this kind of prickly pear seed oil in the lowest price range.

4. Further Processing

• Further processed prickly pear seed oil, such as refining or deodorizing, removes important substances and make it of low quality.
• Prickly pear seed oil of highest quality is filtered exclusively gentle. In this process the valuable active ingredients remain entirely.