Biochemical characteristics of fruits and seeds of Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. subsp. lindheimeri (Engelm.) U.Guzmán & Mandujano

   In the research article presents data on biochemical characterization of fruits and seeds of Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm. subsp. lindheimeri (Engelm.) U. Guzmán & Mandujano naturalized in natural phytocenoses within the Southern Coast of Crimea. It is shown that in the conditions of subtropical Mediterranean climate type, opuntia plants are characterized by smaller morphological parameters in comparison with plants from natural habitats: they reach a height of 0.7 m, cladodes up to 30 cm long, 20 cm wide, 0.8-1.1 cm thick, fruits up to 7.2 cm long, 3.5 cm wide and seeds up to 3.9 mm long, 3.8 mm wide. An average of 6 ± 2 fruits are formed per plant and seed production consist of 1200 ± 120. The method of photocolorimetry revealed that opuntia fruits contain 0.53 ± 0.1 % proteins, 8.57 ± 1.2 % carbohydrates, 12.1 ± 1.0 mg % of vitamin C, which indicates their high nutritional value. The content of fatty oil in seeds is 11 % (according to literature data oil content varies from 9.3 to 11.45 %). The fatty oil is characterized by a high proportion of unsaturated acids (84.8 %), which indicates its value for use in cosmetology. The presence of vaccenic acid, which has the properties of reducing cholesterol and enhancing antitumor immunity, substantiates the pharmacological value of opuntia oil.

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