The History of the Macadamia Nut Tree and Macadamia Nut Oil in HawaiiAbout 90%-95% of all the Macadamia nuts and Macadamia Nut Oil consumed in the world come from Hawaii. With these kinds of statistics, you would figure that the Macnut tree must be indigenous to Hawaii. Wrong! In 1882, the first Macnut tree was planted near Kapulena, on the Big Island of Hawaii. A wealthy sugar plantation manager, William H. Purvis, visited Australia and was impressed by the beauty of the tree. He brought the seeds back to Hawaii where he planted them at Kapulena, on the Big Island of Hawaii. For the next 40 years, the trees were raised primarily as ornamental trees and not for their fruit. In 1921 a Massachusetts man named Ernest Shelton Van Tassell established the first macadamia plantation near Honolulu. This early attempt, however, met with failure, since seedlings from the same tree would often produce nuts of differing yield and quality. The University of Hawaii entered the picture and embarked upon over 20 years of research to improve the tree's crop. It wasn't until the 1950s, when larger corporations entered the picture, that production of macadamia nuts for commercial sale became substantial. The first major investor was Castle & Cooke, owners of the Dole Pineapple Co. Soon after, the C. Brewer and Company Ltd., began their investment in macadamia nuts. Eventually C. Brewer bought Castle & Cooke's macadamia operations and began marketing its nuts under the Mauna Loa brand in 1976. Since then, Mauna Loa's macadamia nuts have continued to grow in popularity. Mauna Loa remains the biggest producer of macadamia nuts in the world and their name is synonymous with macadamia nut products. Macadamia Nut Oil in CookingMacadamia oil (or Macadamia nut oil) is the non-volatile oil expressed from the nut meat of the macadamia "Macadamia integrifolia" tree. Macadamia oil is sometimes used in food as a frying or salad oil. Macadamia oil contains approximately 60% oleic acid, 19% palmitoleic acid, 1-3% Linoleic acid and 1-2% Linolenic acid. Some varieties contain roughly equal omega-6 and omega-3. Although macadamia is cultivated in many different parts of the world, the oil's fatty acid profile is not greatly influenced by environmental factors. The oil displays chemical properties typical of a vegetable triglyceride oil. It is also very stable due to its low polyunsaturated fat content. Macadamia oil is an excellent frying oil due to its high heat capacity. Several properties of macadamia oil are particularly important for use as an edible oil: * It contains up to 85% monounsaturated fats * has an unrefrigerated shelf life of one to two years * a smoke point of 410°F. Macadamia oil is liquid at room temperature. The refined oil is clear, lightly amber-colored with a slightly nutty odor. It is possible to refine it to complete transparency, but the faint odor of macadamia nuts remains.
Macadamia Nut Oil in CosmeticsMacadamia oil's INCI name is Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil Macadamia oil is an excellent botanical replacement for mink oil in most applications. Macadamia oil's rich, cushiony skinfeel and high oxidative stability make it especially suitable for heavy creams and suncare formulations. Derivatives of Macadamia oil in cosmetics include the light emollient Ethyl Macadamiate, and the water soluble PEG-16 Macadamia Glycerides. 
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