The macadamia nut is also called “the queen of nuts”. It is distinguished by its size, soft consistency and oily character. Wholesale macadamia nuts are available in a wide variety and the highest quality.
Popular around the world, macadamia nuts are the seeds of the fruit of two types of macadamia tree: Macadamia integrifolia and Macadamia tetraphylla. Although there are two other types of these trees, only these two are suitable for harvesting edible nuts. The taste of the other nuts is too bitter for commercial use. The origin of both economically relevant macadamia trees lies in the rainforests of south-eastern Australia. A German botanist discovered them in 1858. The term “macadamia” comes from the name of the researcher’s friend, Dr John Macadam. Macadamia nuts only began to be commercially cultivated in the 20th century. In the mid-1960s, the nut established itself as a popular export good around the world.
The seeds of the macadamia fruit are white and enveloped in a hard, light-brown shell that is difficult to crack. In turn, this is surrounded by a fleshy, green shell. This layer bursts open when ripe so that the macadamia falls to the ground. The inflorescences reach a length of 10-30 centimetres and can be recognised by the dense, creamy-white flowers. Pollination by insects enables the plant’s flowers to pollinate each other. Around 10-30 macadamia nut kernels grow on a seed head, which ripen over seven to nine months.
The macadamia nut is among the most expensive nut varieties in the world. This is because of how difficult it is to cultivate the trees and the extensive processing involved. Growing demand is raising prices further, even resulting in bottlenecks in some instances.
In Australia, the period for harvesting macadamia nuts is between March and September. Since the macadamia nut kernels have varying degrees of ripeness, the harvest takes place over multiple cycles. After harvesting from the ground, the macadamias are stored for several weeks at temperatures above 30 degrees. During this time, the water content is reduced significantly from around 30 percent to just 1.5 to 2 percent. Although this process makes it easier to open the macadamia nut, it requires the use of professional tools such as rotating steel cylinders. In the next step of processing, the harvest is sorted by size. At this stage, any low-quality specimens are removed by hand. Finally, all high-quality macadamia nut kernels are roasted at around 120 °C.
Originally, the macadamia comes from Australia, where around two million trees are cultivated today. Hawaii has also become an important cultivation region. Here the harvest period lies between September and December, bridging the harvest-free months in Australia. Moreover, the following countries are involved in cultivating the difficult plant and harvesting the macadamia nut:
New Zealand
South Africa
Malawi
Kenya
Israel
USA (California)
Brazil
Guatemala
Paraguay
Bolivia
| Nutritional value | per 100 grams |
|---|---|
| Calorific value | Approx. 718 kilocalories |
| Fat | Approx. 70 grams |
| Carbohydrates | Approx. 15 grams |
| Protein | Approx. 8 grams |
Nut kernels generally have a high fat content. Fat accounts for around 70 percent of macadamia nuts, which is relatively high. Eighty percent of its fatty acids are unsaturated. These protect the cardiovascular system by lowering cholesterol and keeping blood vessels elastic. Plus, the body is unable to produce these essential fatty acids itself. While macadamia nuts largely contain healthy fats, they should only be consumed in moderation due to the high amount of calories.
The contents of macadamia nuts include vitamins and minerals that provide a number of health benefits for people.
Macadamia nut kernels promote digestion and metabolism, while also providing a feeling of satiety. The fibre content supports the body in the removal of toxins and harmful substances.
Around 0.57 milligrams of vitamin E in 100 grams of macadamia nuts cover twelve percent of the body’s daily needs. Known as an anti-aging vitamin, vitamin E helps the body defend itself against free radicals. Free radicals are created by poor diet, tobacco consumption and stress. They attack the cell structure and prevent the reproduction of old cells.
Macadamia nut kernels contain lots of B vitamins including B2, B3, B6 and B9. There is an especially high proportion of vitamin B1, which protects the kidneys and supports carbohydrate metabolism. A quarter of the body’s daily requirements are covered by 100 grams of macadamia nuts.
The high magnesium content of macadamia nuts helps strengthen nerves and muscles. A hundred grams of macadamia nut kernels contains almost a third of the body’s daily needs. What’s more, macadamia nuts contain the minerals potassium and calcium, thus contributing to preserving bone density.
Macadamia nuts contain iron, which binds oxygen to the blood. Iron therefore improves oxygen supply to all the organs.
Macadamia nuts in the shell look like chestnuts. The shell is very tough and can only be opened with special tools. Macadamia nuts are available in the wholesale trade mainly shelled or processed. Airtight vacuum packs as well as a cool, dry storage place extend the shelf life up to two years, enabling sales all year round.
Macadamia nuts are easy to process for a wide range of uses thanks to their soft consistency. Possible uses include:
The terms used to describe wholesale macadamias indicate the minimum size of the macadamia nuts. Macadamia style 0 is the largest variety and is larger than 20 millimetres. Macadamia style 1 refers to a mix comprising 95 percent whole kernels, which are larger than 16 millimetres. Style 4 denotes half kernels caught by a 10-millimetre sieve.
Around the world, consumers enjoy macadamias raw. The purely natural variety is also the healthiest, since high temperatures have a negative effect on the nutritional content. Macadamia nuts can also be processed for cooking and baking. In addition, they can be bought boiled, roasted, with and without salt, as well as refined. Only the Macadamia ternifolia variety is suitable for roasting. No additional oil is used in this process.
The fine consistency of macadamia nut kernels makes it relatively easy to produce the popular macadamia paste, characterised by a creamy consistency and sweet flavour. The paste is usually made from 100 percent macadamias. Since they are not heated, all the valuable nutrients are retained. The paste is suitable as a spread, for refining desserts and creams, and as a basis for producing macadamia milk.
Thanks to the high fat content, the macadamia nut is also suitable for the production of a milk substitute that is particularly creamy. The buttery, nutty flavour is retained during processing and gives the vegan milk substitute its distinctive taste. To produce it, the macadamia nuts are soaked and then pureed with water. The nut components are separated from the nut milk through pressing. This forms the basis for further products like yoghurt, ice cream or mousse. Macadamia is thus ideal as an interesting and versatile alternative for people with a vegan diet.
Due to the high fat content, a significant amount of oil can be extracted from macadamia nut kernels through pressing. In the cosmetic industry, macadamia oil is used for the production of body oils and other skin care products. These products moisturise the skin and are quickly absorbed. Moreover, the oil is edible; it contains healthy unsaturated fatty acids and is characterised by a high vitamin E content. The product is suitable for heating and for fresh consumption in dressing.
The fine, buttery and creamy flavour of macadamias is one of the reasons why they are called the “queen of nuts”. The seeds have an oil content of 70 to 80 percent. This gives the macadamia its juicy character that sets it apart from other nut kernels .
Buy macadamia nuts from wholesaler August Töpfer & Co. and benefit from a wide selection of high-quality products. When ordering macadamia nuts online, personal advice is often missing. With August Töpfer & Co., you have a competent contact partner at your side. We will be happy to advise you on which products are the right choice for your needs, based on your specifications.
Our traditional company from Hamburg is a comprehensive service provider for import, storage, packaging and logistics. Packing takes place at our wholesale location in Hamburg, enabling us to carry out product checks on site. Close collaboration with the producers allows us to offer even the highest-quality products at fair prices.
Besides macadamias, we offer a variety of popular nut kernels. Furthermore, our extensive product range includes sugar products, Dried fruits, malt products and much more.
August Töpfer & Co. (GmbH & Co.) KG
Raboisen 58
20095 Hamburg
Tel: +49 (0)40 3 20 03-0
Email: contact@atco.de
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