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Health Issues
As a culinary ingredient, the macadamia has it all - flavour and texture plus nutritional and cholesterol benefits.
Macadamia nuts positively burst with polyunsaturates, protein,
carbohydrates, fibre, water, calcium, magnesium, potassium,
phosphorus, iron, thiamine, niacin and riboflavin. They are
little powerhouses of energy.
The oil extracted from macadamias contains approximately
82 per cent mono-unsaturated fatty acids, better even than
olive oil (73 per cent) and canola (63 per cent). The nuts
are believed to contain the highest level of palmitoleic acid
of any known oil and do not contain any cholesterol. In fact,
studies have indicated that a diet enriched with macadamia
nuts lowered blood cholesterol by 7 per cent. The same tests
indicated that a macadamia-enriched diet may have potential
benefits in reducing the likelihood of coronary heart disease.
The nuts have high levels of beneficial oils,
and excellent salad and cooking oils are expressed from macadamias.
They also produce a fine nut butter. As a protein substitute,
it is necessary to use only 60g of macadamias as a substitute
for 75g-100g of meat. To ensure that the protein quality is
equivalent to meat, use the macadamias with cereal grains
such as pasta, rice or legumes, or combine with small amounts
of meat or poultry.
For all this glowing testimony, it is the
unique delicious flavour of macadamias that continues to build
a worldwide demand both from the food industry giants and
the world's most celebrated chefs. And for Pacific Plantations,
supplying this demand means building long-term relationships
with the food giants and major bakeries, confectioners and
ice cream companies, as well as educating the home kitchen
consumer.
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