Macadamia oil

Macadamia oil is a natural oil extracted by cold pressing of the seeds of the homonymous plant ( Macadamia Integrifolia Muller).

We are talking about an evergreen tree belonging to the Proteaceae family, native to the south-eastern forests of Australia. Macadamia is now cultivated in the areas of origin, but also in Hawaii, Mexico and some African regions; The purpose of plantations is to produce and market their fruits, known as macadamia nuts.

Enclosed by a particularly leathery brownish shell, the almond is particularly rich in oily substances. Thus, through a pressing process, an oil is obtained which is particularly rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (50-60%), with an excellent yield, equal to about 80%.

Macadamia oil recognizes important applications in both the food and cosmetic sectors. It is characterized by a light amber color and low acidity, which positively affects the taste, very pleasant and with nuances of walnut (obviously in the refined product).

As shown below, macadamia oil is particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid, the same content abundantly in olive oil. Also noteworthy is the generous presence of palmitoleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid with 16 carbon atoms with a single unsaturation (it therefore belongs to the monounsaturated family).

Thanks to these characteristics, macadamia oil exhibits interesting eudermic properties. As such, it is very similar to the skin by composition, which easily absorbs it due to the similarity of its accidic content.

In the cosmetic field, macadamia oil is then used in moisturizing products for dry skin, in anti-aging cosmetics, in sun creams and even in massage oils. The resistance of this oil to oxidation processes is also good, guaranteed by the unsaponifiable fraction (rich in vitamins and phytosterols), by the prevalence of monounsaturates on polyunsaturated fats and by refining processes (of course, raw macadamia oil would degrade very quickly, especially when exposed to heat and light sources). Also in the cosmetic field, Macadamia oil is also the basis for the production of derivatives, such as the Etat Macadamiato and the PEG-16 macadamia glycerides.

Macadamia oil: acidic composition

• Saturated fatty acids:
• palmitic acid C16: 0 from 9 to 10%.
• C18 stearic acid: 0 from 3.5 to 6%.
• C20 arachidic acid: 0 from 2.4 to 3.7%.
• Unsaturated fatty acids:
• palmitoleic acid C16: 1 from 18 to 28%.
• oleic acid C18: 1 from 50 to 56%.
• C18 linoleic acid: 2 from 2.8 to 3.4%. (family of omega 6)

The aforementioned oxidation resistance makes macadamia oil particularly suitable for frying (smoke point 210 ° C). In this sense, it represents an excellent alternative to olive oil and other oils resistant to high temperatures (peanuts, sunflower oil rich in oleic, palm oil and palm kernel). Consumed raw, due to the high presence of palmitoleic acid, Macadamia oil is less suitable than traditional olive oil and other seed oils.