Assessment of Extraction Methods and Biological Value of Seed Oil from Eight Variants of Prickly Pear Fruit (Opuntia spp.)

Yield and composition of seed oil (SO) from eight variants of prickly pear were evaluated. Oil extraction was performed by maceration-percolation (MP) and by cold press (CP). Characterization and quantification of fatty acids and phytosterols was performed by CG/EM. Cytotoxicity and proliferative activities in vitro of the extracted SO were evaluated on fibroblast cell culture. Oil yield was quite variable between variants, higher with MP method...