The king’s nut, the Kindal, the boomer are names that receive the nuts found by the Australian aborigines. In the nineteenth century it became currency among the Australian indigenous people and was even venerated at the religious level.
The year 1930 was a turning point, since the botanists began to be interested in the fruit. Ferdinand Muller studied the useful properties of the shells and grains of the Australian nut and gave him a new name: Macadamia, in honor of Macadam’s friend.
Chemical composition of the Macadamia nut shell
The tree does not belong to the family of nuts, so the fruit is called fruit and almond, seed. The plant is originally from Australia. It produces and exports more than 40, 000 tons per year, with a global export value of 100, 000 (Brazil, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Hawaii and New Zealand). There are 9 types of Macadamia and none of them tolerate low temperatures, so it is impossible to grow it even on the coast, in warm regions (Crimea, Sochi).
Like the almond, the Macadamia shell includes useful properties. The peel contains the same trace elements, but in smaller quantity. Its density is 680 kg/m3, with a water content of less than 10%.
| Other substances in the composition | Percentage |
| Lingin | 47% |
| Cellulose | 25% |
| Hemicellulose | eleven% |
| Ash | 0-2% |
Properties of the Macadamia nut shell
The Macadamia nut shell is dense, it burns well and contains useful nutrients, but it can barely be used. Therefore, scientists try to find other uses. The shells constitute around 40-60% of the entire fruit, so recycling them would generate additional income.
Due to its low carbon content, recycling and reuse of the shell will not harm humans or nature. Australian enthusiast s-agricultores, students, scientific loures- suggest creating furniture, glue, compost and fuel from shells, and generating additional energy with production.
The benefits
The useful substances of the shells allow to use the raw material as medicine or as material for alcoholic tinctures. Liquors are enriched with enzymes, vitamins and a pleasant and rich aroma.
In addition, the shells have great resistance and ashes content, so when processing good plates of particles with new properties. Macadamia burns and generates very heat, similar to that of wood or carbon, and ashes are good for the ground and other plants.
The shells can be cool to make flour and add to bakery products. The dust is used to decorate cakes and drinks. This ingredient provides a detoxifying effect, necessary in diets or sports nutrition.
Macadamia shells contain toxic substances for animals. In addition, sharp splinters are a threat to children. An ingested particle can seriously injure internal organs and stay.
It is difficult to leave, getting to the nut is almost impossible if there is no experience and ability to open nuts. Several methods have been invented to simplify the procedure.
Not all macadamia species are susceptible to technological processing. Macadamia Whelanii and M. Ternifolia accumulate too many cyanogenic glucosides and are considered uncomfortable.
How to choose when buying
The grains take more than six months to mature and only a special machine can break the shells. You can buy nuts in any nuts, cereals or legumes. They are usually sold without peel:
- Fresh quality grains are dense, fleshy, whole (without cracks or roughness);
- They should not have a smell of mold, traces of moisture, insects (slight aroma from hazelnut)
- The taste is sweet, without any bitterness
- The meat is not firm or greasy
- It must be exempt from spices and salt;
- Producers: Mexico, South Africa, Australia, China.
The nuts measure 3-4 cm in diameter with shell, 1. 5-2 cm without it. The peeled fruits are light milky, slightly crushed above and below. The grains are collected with their green peel, which is pee by classifying them.
How to peel a macadamia nut
Nuts peel in production conditions with a special machine. It consists of two axes, whose space between them is less than the Macadamia nut. When the fruit passes between the turbines, the peel is crazy and crumbles. There is a vibration cleaning method. Vibratory networks and strong vibrations are used.
It is difficult to open the nut on its own without damaging the pulp. In order for the shells to be easier to peel, the grains are previously dried or freezed. In this way, they separate from the walls and do not resist extraction.
In Hawaii they have invented a manual peeling method. It requires a stone with round holes, the size of a fruit, a porous volcanic rock, limestone or blackboard. The nut is placed in the hole with the vein up, it sways and the shell is strongly holded with a flat and heavy stone. If the shell does not open, you have to change the angle of the blow. The fragments fly to the sides, it is important to protect your eyes and mucous membranes.
It is difficult to find a porous stone at home, so a gag and a kitchen hammer is used. The nut is fastened in a bank screw, firmly fastened and hits the hammer in the seam. If the angle is incorrect, the fruit will not open and the impact will be on the fingers.
Only peeled nuts retain their nutrients. The longer after peeling them, the less micronutrients they are in the fruit.
What can be done and how to use the macadamia nut shells
Often the shells are not recycled, but are thrown, but their dense structure and their properties allow to reuse them. But what can be done with Macadamia nut shells? A great option is the padding of the soil: cover the upper layer with decomposition organic products to protect it from weathering or frost.
The shell burns well, and can be poured into the fire and use to heat the kitchen instead of coal and firewood. However, it is difficult to collect such amount of shells. After combustion is the biocarbon, an organic fertilizer for plants. The combustion and liberation process of carbon dioxide is in itself a valuable source of energy that can become electricity. Ecological farms use this property. This removal without waste helps to conserve nature and avoid the greenhouse effect.
The shells serve as an excellent filter: the elements contained inside help purify air or water. Cásca dust absorbs harmful heavy substances. Interestingly, Macadamia is often found in mixing mixtures or plates.
This property is also used in medicine. Overseas hospitals use crushed shell as activated carbon to eliminate toxins from the human body in case of poisoning. Coconut and Macadamia peels expand in the stomach and absorb harmful substances. In Australia this cleaning of the digestive system is practiced in case of paracetamol overdose and other medications.
It tries to manufacture durable furniture with the shells. US University have used this raw material as a basis for agglomerate panels. The result is a moisture resistant board. The inventors believe that the panels are adequate even for the bathroom, because they emit a pleasant vanilla smell when they heat up.
Science advances. Scientists have created nanopoopolys that are added to plastics and metal alloys. These additives provide protection against damage and wear resistance. There are plans to use the invention in the assembly of electronic components.
An Australian designer, Mark Harrison, invented a technology to grind and paste shell particles to create a durable polymer. Use this material to create downtown disasters and items.
Few people know it, but the macadamia nut shell contains the same microelements as almond. Therefore, in Russia they have learned to make supplies tinctures and alcoholic beverages with the shell of the Macadamia nut. The resulting “cocktail” has a pleasant aroma to vanilla or cream. To prepare it you will need
- Purified macadamia alcohol (1 liter);
- 5-6 nuts without peel.
Break the nuts with a hammer, pick up all the shells, wast them in a bottle and add 2-3 grains. Pour the mixture with Moonshine and insist 10 days. When matured, the liquid will have a brownish color and a clearly sweet smell. This tincture is adequate as a tonic, antiseptic, rubbing for joints, cellulite and stretch marks.
The second recipe of Macadamia nut shell is a light and sweet drink. For this, the 160-180 nuts are taken, they are crushed and boiled for 15 minutes in sugar syrup (500 grams of granulated sugar and 1 liter of water). Three liters of vodka are poured, a tablespoon of sugar is added and 15 days are insisted in a dark place, agitating occasionally. The sugar content can be reduced to avoid sweetness.
This tincture can be used as Aomatizer de Tés: it has vanilla aroma and a pleasant force similar to that of the liquor. Calcareal shells are a good complement to ground coffee. They are mixed with the infusion poses and are cooked over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The drink is enriched with the aroma and taste of hazelnuts.
Official Medicine and Pharmacy do not use Macadamia nuts or its peel. But nutritionists and cosmetologists are sure that the microelements contained in the fruit are necessary for human skin and the organism as a whole. Oil and pomace are actively used. Scientists believe that nut sheths represent more than 30% of all waste and dirty the environment. Therefore, it continues to investigate to find areas in which the beneficial properties of the shells of the Australian Macadamia nut can be taken advantage of. It is currently working on the development of a environmen t-respecting tail.
Contraindications of use
Doctors consider that Macadamia nuts are the least allergenic. The main problem derived from its consumption is the heaviness of the product. Due to its saturation of fatty acids, the fruit takes a long time to decompose, preventing the functioning of the stomach. To avoid gastritis, colitis, ulcers, it is better not to eat more than 15 grams at the same time, especially children, elders and pregnant women. Its high fiber content affects mucous membranes.
In case of dried fruits, it is advisable to consult a doctor before using it. An overdose can cause nausea, migraine and diarrhea. Frequent lon g-term consumption causes obesity, increased blood cholesterol. Glazed nuts, spices, coconut chips, fried in oil are considered harmful.
They are dangerous for domestic animals, especially dogs. Eating a nut causes a sudden loss of appetite, weakness, nausea. A severe poisoning causes dehydration. Usually, the animal’s status is stabilized after 2 days. To accelerate the healing process, the animal must undergo a gastric lavage and a diet.
Collection and storage
Nuts grow in warm tropical countries, it will be difficult to grow in Russia due to variable climatic conditions, cold and frost. Oceanic storms also threaten plantations.
Until 10 years ago, the fruit was collected, peeled and collected manually. Now the process is automated, but the price has not dropped: transport, cleaning and classification continue to take a long time and cost a lot of money. Although the seed takes between 8 and 10 months to mature, the tree houses the ovaries, flowers and mature nuts, all at the same time. They rise from the ground daily, because the prolonged presence of the grains in the skin can cause the appearance of mold and smell of moisture.
So that Macadamia nuts do not lose their healthy properties, they must be stored in a hermetic bag without oxygen. It is better to wrap nuts in aluminum foil and freeze them (expiration: up to six months). If a frequent use is expected, a plastic or glass container with minimum air access (up to 4 months) is placed in the refrigerator. The fruit can also dry in the oven. The shells are stored in linen bags, in a dark closet with little environmental humidity.
The price of macadamia reaches $ 30-40 per kilo. But no other dry fruit has so many useful qualities. The natural cure for all evils is worth what it costs.
