Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia Nuts were introduced to Hawai'i in 1881 as a tree for reforestation. They were a native plant of Australia. Macadamia nuts are ideally suited to the mild tropical climate of Hawai'i.
The nut of the macadamia tree grows within a hard green husk that splits open as it matures. When dehydrated, over 65% of the creamy white kernel contains oil and 6-8% is sugar.
Macadamia nuts are considered to be the prime edible nut. They are excellent raw or dehydrated. The oil from the nut is naturally high in mono-unsaturated fats and antioxidants. There is a long stable shelf life. They can be eaten as a delicious snack and used in almost any recipe that calls for nuts, including stuffings, fruit salads, breads and cakes.
Our Special Processing
Our macadamia Nuts are dehydrated and farm-direct from a single origin and is one of only a few growers in the world that owns the patented nut cracker that gives us the ability to dehydrate the nuts out of the shell rather than oven-drying the nuts in the shell. Dehydration only minimally affects the nutritional value of the macadamia nut as it is the least damaging form of food preservation. Also, dehydration uses 60% less power than conventional drying which decreases the impact on the environment. The result of our unique processing is a superior product in every way. |
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Macadamia is native to the East Coast rainforests of North Eastern parts of Australia. Several parts of mineral rich, tropical and subtropical areas of Australia, Hawaiian Islands, Middle Americas, Brazil and South African regions are favourite regions where these sweet and crunchy nuts grow in abundance. Macadamia tree grows to about 15 meters in height. In general, it reaches maturity and begins to produce fruit at around the age of seventh year of plantation. There are about seven species of macadamia grown in their wild natural habitat. However, only two of which are edible and cultivated in the horticulture farms around the world. Macadamia integrifolia produces smooth-shelled nuts, whereas Macadamia tetraphylla has nuts with a rough shell. During each summer, the tree bears elongated chains of attractive cream-white coloured flower racemes, which subsequently develop into tough shelled, round to spherical shaped fruits with a conical tip. Depending upon the cultivar type its shell may possess smooth or rough outer surface. Each fruit features 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter consisting of husk enveloping around a single kernel. Inside, the edible kernel is white, has smooth buttery surface and sweet taste.
Health benefits of Macadamia nuts
In concise, sweet, refreshing macadamias are brimming with essential minerals, vitamins and heart-friendly mono-unsaturated fatty acids.
Selection and storage Store unshelled macadamia nuts in cool, dry place where they stay well for several months. Shelled kernels should be placed inside an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator to avoid them turn rancid.
Preparation and serving methods Raw whole macadamia nuts are generally cut open from processing units using large Sheller machines. For domestic purposes, small size nut shelling machine or hand held pliers are used.
Safety profile Macadamia nut allergy is quite a rare occurrence and not as common as other tree nut allergies like cashew, and pistachio. However, sometimes it might cause hypersensitivity reactions in sensitive people to food substances prepared with these nuts.The type and severity of symptoms may range from gastro-intestinal symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, pain abdomen; and respiratory tract symptoms like swelling of lips, throat pain, breathing difficulty, and chest congestion. Therefore, caution should be exercised in those with nut allergic syndrome while using food preparations that contain these nut products.
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