DENOMINATION
Scientific Name: Opuntia ficus-indica
Appellation in French: Cactus
Appellation in Classical Arabic: Assobbar
Name in Dialectal Arabic: Zaâboul
PRODUCTION LAND
The prickly pear production area is very spread over several areas of the kingdom, including Ait Baâmrane, Rhamna, Ouled Heddou, Bejaâd, Khouribga, Al Hoceima, Zerhoune and others.
It takes almost a ton of figs to obtain 1 liter of prickly pear oil. It is obtained by cold pressing the seeds.
SPECIFICITIES
Prickly pear oil is a 100% pure and natural oil. It comes from a first cold pressing of prickly pear seeds without the use of solvent. It is characterized by its yellow to green color with an acidity index not exceeding 1.7% and a peroxide index around 11 milliequivalents of oxygen per kilogram. Prickly pear seed oil consists of a series of fatty acids where the major component is linoleic acid with a percentage of 60% compared to other fatty acids.
USES
Prickly pear oil is a product for 100% cosmetic use.