ABSTRACT
Cactus is almost exclusively New World plant, meaning that it is native only to North America, South America and the West Indies. In Mexico, the United States of America, Spain, Italy and northern Africa, cactus form an important part of the people's dietary requirement. Cactus is a member of succulent plant family Cactaceae. It is often grown as ornamental plants but many of the cacti are cultivated as crop plants. With excellent quality and flavour of fresh fruits, its young leaves serve as a nutritious vegetable and salad dish and the immature fruits for making mock-gherkins. Enzyme activity levels are negligible in green immature fruits and increased with the fruit development and during storage, concomitant with the timing of linalool accumulation in fruits. Prickly pears can be a good alternative forage crop on land, which is presently deemed marginal for other crops. The spines can be burnt before feeding the cattle.
