The objective of the present work was to evaluate the changes in morphological and physicochemical characteristics of Moroccan prickly pear cultivars at three different stages of maturity. The results of morphological study showed that the width, length, skin thickness, diameter and depth of receptacle differed significantly depending the cultivars and did not differ significantly depending the maturity. Other parameters such as the weight of the pulp, the skin and the whole fruit differed significantly depending on the cultivars and the maturity; they increased with advance in maturity, while the proportions of skin decreased.
For the physicochemical analyzes, the results showed that moisture, pH, Brix, vitamin C, total sugar and fat have a significant difference between the cultivars and maturity; they increased with advance in maturity, while the percentage of fat decreased. However, no important differences were observed in ash, reducing and non -reducing sugars between the stages of ripeness of the fruits.
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