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This unique African oil is beneficial because of its content of linoleic acid (between 30% and 54%) the derivatives of which synthesized by the body form part of the composition of cell membranes. Mongongo oil therefore has hydrating, regenerating and restructuring properties and in addition, and due to the presence of eleostearic acid which reacts rapidly with UV light producing polymerization.
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The botanical name is Schinziophyton rautanenii and is also known as Manketti. The mongongo is a deciduous nut-bearing tree measuring 7 – 20m tall and 1.5cm in diameter. The large branches grow at a gentle angle to the ground and the tree can be easily climbed making them a favorite playground for children. The wood is pale yellow and is similar to balsa, being both lightweight and strong. It has dark green hand-shaped leaves and small whitish-yellow flowers. The tree leafs in October, and then flowers and begins to bear fruit.
The green fuzzy fruit is somewhat plum-like and falls from the trees from April to May, maturing on the ground. Under the skin is a narrow spongy layer, at first green and pleasantly aromatic to taste, then turning brown with maturity when the flesh softens and develops its sweet date-like flavor. Elephants and Kudu feast on the sweet fruits and produce the 'nuts' cleaned of the fruit. Kudu regurgitate the nuts some time after eating the fallen fruit, leaving them in neat piles, ready for collection while elephants defecate the nuts, which can be picked up from their dung.
The Mongongo tree grows on seasonal drylands, surviving unreliable rains and temperatures ranging from 14º F in winter to well over 100º F in summer. It is found in abundance throughout coast to coast across Southern Africa – where it occurs in large groves: some running for several kilometers.
Mongongo fruit and nuts are commonly consumed by local people in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Mozambique and Malawi and is a staple food amongst the San bushmen of northern Botswana and Namibia.
The seeds are roasted and then cracked – this removes the hard outer shell but leaves the inner shell intact which helps to keep kernels clean until they are required for later use. The outer shell is extremely tough and difficult to crack. This has proved a major barrier to commercial exploitation of the mongongo nut but has preserved this excellent food source for the indigenous people of Africa.
The white kernel is similar to a small hazelnut, which tastes much like roasted cashews or almonds. After roasting, the kernel turns butterscotch brown and takes on a cheesy flavor. The dried, crumbly flesh of old fruit is edible for as long as eight months. Some bushmen remove the flesh from the fresh fruit, dry it in the sun, and store it for use later in the year.
The kernel has a protein content of about 25%, and a fat content of about 50%. It has a high vitamin E content - around 560mg per 100 grams of kernel. The nutritional content of the kernel is outstanding. The kernel is 57% fat, and of this, about 43% are polyunsaturated (almost entirely linoleic acid), about 17% saturated fats (palmitic and stearic), and about 18% monounsaturated (oleic).
The kernel contains calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, and high concentrations of vitamin E (almost entirely as g-tocopherol). Due to the very high g-tocopherol content, the oil is very stable, and does not become rancid in the African heat.
As previously stated, Mongongo oil is beneficial for topical use because of its content of linoleic acid (between 30% and 54%) the derivatives of which synthesized by the body form part of the composition of cell membranes. Mongongo oil therefore has hydrating, regenerating and restructuring properties and in addition, and due to the presence of eleostearic acid which reacts rapidly with UV light producing polymerization.
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