<jats:sec><jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>Capparis spinosa <jats:italic>is widely distributed all over the Mediterranean Basin. Fatty acid composition of oils of</jats:italic> C. spinosa <jats:italic>from seven Tunisian regions was determined. The oil content of the seeds ranged from 23.25 to 33.64% on a dry weight basis. Unsaturated fatty acids accounted for the majority of the fatty acids. Oleic acid with 45.82% was the main fatty acid followed by linoleic acid (25.37%), palmitic acid (15.93%), palmitoleic acid (4.55%) and stearic acid (4.06%).</jats:italic> C. spinosa <jats:italic>seed oil also contained a high level of tocopherols (ca. 628 mg/100 g). γ‐Tocopherol was the major homologue (ca. 92%), followed by α‐tocopherol (ca. 4%) and δ‐tocopherol (ca. 2%). Seed oil of</jats:italic> C. spinosa <jats:italic>contained high amounts of carotenoids (ca. 457 µg/100 g). The contents of β‐carotene (as pro‐vitamin A) were also very significant (ca. 375 µg/100 g). Results encourage the use of this plant species as a new source of vegetable oil for nutritional, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications.</jats:italic></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS</jats:title><jats:p>The seeds of <jats:italic>Capparis spinosa</jats:italic> may serve as a new potential source of oil (ca. 27%). It contained mainly unsaturated fatty acids (ca. 77%). Oleic acid was the major fatty acid (ca. 45%). The level of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids was about 25 and 1%, respectively. Moreover, <jats:italic>C. spinosa</jats:italic> seed oil is an important source of tocopherols (as vitamin E), with approximately 628 mg/100 g and also of carotenoids (457 µg/100 g). These compounds have an important role in the prevention of many diseases and can be used in a number of personal care products. Seeds of <jats:italic>C. spinosa</jats:italic> are especially attractive for producing oil for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.</jats:sec>