Prickly Pear

Opuntia is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pear is the common name of the Opuntia cacti and is also used for their fruit. Cactus pear, Indian fig and Barbary fig are further English names for Opuntia ficus-indica and its fruit. Prickly pears are native only to the Americas. The fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica vary in colour among cultivars, from green to white, yellow to orange and red to purple. They have a taste similar to sweet watermelon.

Origin and Production

Opuntia ficus-indica originates from Mexico. It can grow in arid and semiarid regions at high temperatures and low water availability. The flowers first appear in early May through the early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fruits ripen from August through October. The commercial use of Opuntia ficus-indica is for its large, sweet fruits, called tunas. Mexico is an area with significant cultivation of tunas. Opuntia ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus, grown primarily as a fruit crop and also for the vegetable nopales. Commercial yields of Opuntia differ widely with location, cultivar and growing technique. Harvests above 20 tonnes of fruit per hectare are common in Israel, Italy and irrigated parts of Mexico, a few cases of 50 tonnes have been reported, and output is lower in most arid and rainfall-dependent places. The Opuntia plant has been introduced to Australia, southern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa.

Chemistry

The red color of the fruit and juice is due to betalains, betanin and indicaxanthin. Betalains include two classes of compounds: betacyanins (red-violet) and betaxanthins (yellow). The fruit contains vitamin C, at 25-30 mg per 100 g. It was once used to mitigate scurvy. The plant also contains flavonoids, such as quercetin and isorhamnetin.

Uses

The fruits are commercialized in many parts of the world and eaten raw. The fruit, called tuna, is commonly eaten in Mexico and the Mediterranean region and is also used to make aguas frescas. Jams and jellies made from the fruit resemble strawberries and figs in color and flavor. Mexicans use Opuntia fruit to make an alcoholic drink called colonche. The young cladodes are cooked and eaten as a vegetable known as nopalitos. Opuntia ficus-indica is cultivated in nopalries as a host plant for cochineal insects, which produce desirable red and purple dyes.