The mere mention of the word “fat” tends to turn off a lot of people these days, especially when it relates to food with high-fat and high-oil content. However, here is one food which is expected to enjoy great demand among dieters, even if it has up to 80 percent natural oil content.
“Macadamia is the world’s most nutritious nut,” MacNut Philippines, Inc. president and CEO Jorge Disuanco said. Disuanco, a Filipino who made it big in Hawaii, had noticed how macadamia nuts just fell on the ground in Hawaii parks and thought about introducing the species in the Philippines to help improve the country’s economy and the health of fellow Filipinos.
Disuanco is particularly interested in growing macadamia trees in Mindanao as a solution to climate change and reforestation. He said he was amazed when he found out that macadamia trees are grown at the Eden Nature Park in Toril and in other areas in Mindanao.
After years of experimenting with the right variety, he said, MacNut Philippines has successfully established a nursery in Tarlac, and has propagated about 600,000 seedlings of macadamia trees. But these are not enough to cover available lands in the country, he added.
Economic value
Disuanco said Mindanaoans can improve their lives by simply planting macadamia trees. The grafted variety which MacNut was able to grow in Tarlac will start to bear fruit in three years time and continue to do so for up to 80 years.
“Fruits from the tree will sustain Mindanao farmers for life and they do not even have to harvest them because they simply fall from the tree when ripe,” he said. The climate in Davao and other Mindanao areas is ideal for macadamia because these plants prefer sheltered and warm conditions.
The world’s largest producer of macadamia nuts used to be Hawaii, which primarily makes use of the trees for reforestation. However, it was overtaken by Australia in 1997.
“The demand for macadamia nuts worldwide is high and with the low production cost in Mindanao and even the whole Philippines, it can be a very viable export business for the country,” he said.
Macadamia nuts are in demand in the food industry, especially in the production of chocolates, gourmet biscuits, ice cream and snack products.
While the initial capital needed to start an orchard is substantial, he said, the maintenance cost is comparatively low. A seedling of the macadamia tree costs P1,000 and with 300 fruit trees planted to about a hectare of land, the seedlings alone can already cost P300,000.
An entrepreneur can start a macadamia farm without a watering system for only P420,000. However, if he wants to establish a watering system to ensure the survival of the trees, then the capitalization can go as high as P1 million.
This investment can double in three years once the trees start to bear fruit. MacNut estimated the yearly gross income of a one hectare macadamia farm at around P2.40 million, granting that each of the 300 trees can produce 34 kilos sold at P200 per kilo.
“Return of investment may be realized in the eighth year of operating the farm,” Disuanco said.
The macadamia tree has a variety of uses, from the nuts which are edible, to the shells which are used as mulch, a planting medium for growing anthurium and orchids, substitute for sand in sandblasting process and fuel for the processing of macadamia nuts.
“Macadamia is in demand in the world market and yet they make up only two percent of the world’s tree nut production,” he said.
Health properties
Disuanco said the health benefits of macadamia are well documented. Aside from the high oil content, it also has nine percent protein, nine percent carbohydrate and two percent dietary fiber.
“The oil is rich in monosaturates that are considered healthy and can reduce the risk of heart diseases,” he said. And while nuts are generally considered fattening, he added, studies by the University of Newcastle in the United States show that a daily dose of macadamia nuts can lower the blood cholesterol levels and may even encourage weight loss.
Disuanco has taken advantage of the weight loss property of macadamia and have started producing and marketing the Gem Macadamia Soft Gels. The soft gels, touted to have high-reducing properties, are being produced right in Davao City.
The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, which sponsors research on the health benefits of cocoa, chocolate and nuts, revealed that the high polyphenol compounds and fatty acids content of macadamia nuts can reduce the LDL-cholesterol level of the body.
LDL cholesterol is considered bad cholesterol as it can slowly build up in the arteries to form a plaque that narrows the arteries and can result to a heart attack.
Macadamia nuts contain monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFA, such as oleic and palmitoleic fatty acids. It also contains Omega 9 which reduces insulin resistance, protection against certain types of cancer and reduces hardening of the arteries.
Separate studies at the University of Newcastle in Hawaii and in Japan shows a reduction in the participants’ LDL cholesterol level after consuming at least 20 grams of macadamia per day for three weeks.
With the proven health benefits of the nuts, it is expected to continuously enjoy a high demand in the world market in the years to come. This makes macadamia good business for Mindanaoans and for Filipinos in general.
