Macadamias
Currently about 70 per cent of all Australian macadamia nuts processed
is exported as raw kernel, and the remainder is
sold in Australia as raw and roasted kernels, confectionery,
and various food service product. The food service industry
is offered nine grades from large whole kernels to a roasted
granulated product used in breakfast cereals and bakery items.
But the macadamia is also becoming a more
familiar part of the Australian diet through improved nutritional
education and acceptance of the Mediterranean diet pyramid
as a model for healthier Australians. The Mediterranean diet
pyramid is both the newest and oldest way of promoting healthy
eating. Nuts have been part of the human diet from prehistoric
times and are still a major dietary staple in many ethnic
cuisines.
There is increasing interest in the Mediterranean
diet and in Mediterranean cuisines in Australia where both
climate and availability of ingredients are similar. The important
characteristics of this diet are the use of more nuts, fish
and vegetables, and this provides exciting opportunities for
menu innovation both in the food service industry and in the
Australian home.
Pacific Plantation Products
Pacific Plantations' export success is built not just on quality
but on providing a macadamia product for every application.
Nuts from their north-eastern New South Wales plantations
fan out across the world in a wide range of processed styles.
There are macadamias graded as gourmet snacks,
macadamias for confectionery, macadamias for cookies and ice
cream, for fine food preparation, for cereal and bakery lines,
and for prescribed health diet consumption. Pacific Plantations
also produces macadamia oil in both food and cosmetic grades.
The oil is unique in its physical and chemical properties,
having a composition more closely related to marine mammal
oil than vegetable oil. It has the added value of being a
cholesterol free oil. In cosmetic application, it enjoys the
status of being a vanishing oil - those which penetrate
the dermal layer of the skin. It is used in massage therapy,
as an aromatherapy extender, and as an ingredient in the cosmetic
lines of some of Europe's elite cosmetic companies.
The Australian macadamia nut industry is
highly export oriented, with about 70 per cent of the annual
production destined for overseas markets. It is also highly
mechanised and innovative. The current emphasis on scientific
research into increasing crop yields and improving production
methods and processing efficiencies will be vital to
Australia maintaining and increasing its world leadership.
more...
|
