Production Of Pure Argan Oil
Pure argan oil, regarded as one of the best and most valuable oils in the world, is extracted from nuts that grow on the argan tree. It is known that in Morocco only one liter of oil is produced from the crop of 6–8 argan trees.
In the Oren farm the process of extracting the oil is automated and is carried out by squeezing the nut’s kernel; one liter of oil is produced from 50 kg of fruit. First the nuts are harvested and the pulp that covers them, similar to the pulp of the green almond, is dried. After drying the pulp, which is the external shell, the nut is shelled and the kernel inside is removed. The nut is brown and it is regarded as one of the hardest nuts to crack.
In Morocco you can see women collecting the nuts from within goat excrement, cracking them with stones and extracting the oil by hand; however, nowadays the process is carried out mechanically by advanced methods. The nuts are broken by a special machine that breaks a small number of nuts each time. Each nut contains one or two white kernels the thickness of sheet of paper. The kernels are placed in a machine which grinds them in order to extract every drop of argan oil. As the kernel does not contain water, there is no need to separate oil and water as is done when producing olive oil for example. The oil is cold-pressed, no heat is used and no other material is added. At the end of the process, which takes many hours, a yellowish oil is produced, and it is filtered to separate the minuscule particles of the kernels floating in it, in order to receive clear yellow argan oil.
The pure cold-pressed argan oil is intended for both internal and external uses. The oil is known to help strengthen the body’s immune system and balance blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Use of the oil on the skin accelerates the rate of replacement of the cells and slows down the appearance of wrinkles, helps treat dry skin, scars, cuts, chafing, greatly helps to heal burns and helps treat psoriasis and eczema. The oil is known to strengthen nails and is recommended for hair care.
In Morocco – and in this way we also sometimes extract the pure argan oil in another way that is different from how the white kernels are handled – after cracking the nuts and before extracting the oil from the kernels, they are roasted for a few minutes. We then wait until they cool and continue with the above process. This produces oil with a reddish-brown color and a nutty aroma. This oil is used mainly to season food or to add to high quality baked products. This dark argan oil is in high demand by the best chefs because of the special flavor it gives to food. It is sufficient to sprinkle only a few drops of argan oil in order to receive a rich nutty taste and wonderful aroma.
