Argania

Argan tree ( Argania spinosa)

The argan tree or argan tree ( Argania spinosa Syn: Syderoxylon spinosum L., Argania sideroxylon Roem & Schult, Elaeodendron argan. . ) Is the only species of the monotypic genus Argania, belongs to the family of Sapotengewächse ( Sapotaceae ).

Origin

The argan tree occurs as endemic in the southwestern Morocco and southeastern Algeria. The argan tree can flourish at altitudes of up to 1,300 meters.

He is also regarded as tertiary relic. Back 80 million years to grow the argan tree in Morocco. In the Tertiary, he probably covered large areas in North Africa and southern Europe, Quaternary shrank its range due to climatic cooling to a few areas in the south of Morocco. Today it is only growing to 820,000 ha in southwestern Morocco.

The botanist Louis Emberger described in the 1930s, several locations of the ' Forêt d' argan ' in Mauritania, where the plant is a major influence on the character of the landscape.

Description

The argan tree is a thorny, woody plant medium size, with growth heights of up to 10 meters. The tree has a wide spreading crown of sometimes more than 70 m circumference, whose branches stoop up on the ground for the relatively low strain. The argan tree is to survive capable of extreme drought and high temperatures up to about 50.degree. In dry seasons it loses its leaves. It is also called " ironwood tree " (like many other tree species) because of its hard wood. The argan tree has a life expectancy of 250 to 400 years.

The fruits of the argan tree have a bitter pulp, are about the size of dates and see this very similar in the dry state. Fresh looks from the argan fruit like a mixture of olive and yellow plum. This fruit is a berry morphologically and contains up to three cores, each slightly larger than a hazelnut, their shell is extremely hard. In each of these cores connected - similar to the Almond - the seeds, about the size of a sunflower seed. From these seeds the oil is extracted.

Use

In Morocco, the argan tree is grown for oil production for centuries. Closely related species are used in Chinese folk medicine. In addition, the Argan forests help stop desertification.

Argan oil

In the production of argan oil, the fruit is picked by hand from the ground, because they can not be beaten down. In plantations, however, a mechanical harvesting using a vibrating vibrating machine takes place. The fruit then fall into a continuous tape network and can be easily added. You will first air dried, then manually or mechanically crushed to release the dried pulp of the nuclei, whose shells are then pitched between two stones. The seeds contained therein are roasted at low heat and grind in a small hand mill. The resulting slurry is then treated with water until segregates the oil. For the preparation of a liter of oil about 30 kg of fruit ( approximately 4.5 kg of cores ) are required. In addition to the modern manufacturing by machine roasting and pressure has the traditional production of hand, especially in the area of women's cooperatives obtained. In Morocco, about 80% of Arganölgewinnung is entirely handmade. The involvement of villagers in the production process helps the traditionally underdeveloped agricultural regions to generate income and promote economic development. In the argan oil from roasted seeds, the seeds are lightly toasted and only intact seeds roasted, so they carry no combustion; at the argan oil from the first cold pressing the seeds are not roasted. Cold-pressed argan oil is very bitter and finds its application traditionally in the treatment of skin diseases, and in cosmetics.

The water used for food oil is composed of fats and essential oils. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids is about 80 %, the amount of tocopherols is about 620 mg / kg, about twice as high as that of olive oil. Argan oil from roasted seeds is slightly reddish and has a walnut- like taste.