Macadamia

Macadamia nut oil, the so-called “Australian nut”, comes from small-scale African farmers in the Kenyan Mountains. They often use discarded nuts from food retailers.

Macadamia trees produce fruit throughout the year at several growth stages. Also at certain times of the year, the branches bloom with light pink coloured blooms with a delicate perfume scent. When ripe, the nuts, wrapped in a green, soft shell fall to the ground. The nuts and their shells are harvested and then transported to certain places where they break and extract the oil through a cold pressing process. It produces an oil rich in vitamin E, mono- (oleic and palmitoleic acid) and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as saturated as palmitic acid.

Production

As a result of the processing, the kernel is fully used. The oil is used in natural cosmetics or in the food industry, and the nutmeat – the by-product of the pressing (so-called cake) is used as animal feed. Shells are fuel to produce energy for factories, boiling water, and heating. Local factories, where macadamia nuts are processed, take care of their employees and their families and help send their children to school. The common lunch –  meals seasoned with fresh coriander, ginger and garlic, is part of everyday life in the factories. Most employees have been working for many years and learned the bottom-up production methods, advancing in the different areas of production.

Use and benefits of the macadamia nut oil

Macadamia nut oil contains fatty acids with a composition very similar to that of human sebum. It has very good softening and regenerating properties, is not greasy and has the ability to penetrate the epidermis of human skin. Compared to other oils, it contains one of the highest concentrations of unsaturated fatty acid – the palmitolein, also known as Omega 7. It is known for its properties to soften and stimulate the elasticity of the skin. Normally this acid is contained in the skin, hairs and nails. It is characterized by a strong antioxidant effect that binds it to its ability to make the skin radiant and look younger and beautiful. Helps delay the aging of the skin and reduces intense hair loss. Macadamia oil also has one of the highest levels of monounsaturated fats (85%) of all lipids but is also stable to oxidation. This makes macadamia extremely “flexible” oil and a desirable ingredient in cosmetics and skin care.