Brazil nuts are the seeds of the Bertholletia Excelsa tree, a species native exclusively to the Amazon rainforests of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. The majority of Brazil nuts marketed are obtained exclusively from the trees of natural plantations, not crops. A Brazil nut tree can produce Brazil nuts for 15 to 20 years.
In its natural habitat, the Brazil nut tree grows in deep alluvial soils, rich in organic matter, well drained, and on high ground.
Brazil nut trees are large trees. In their natural habitat, trees grow in clusters of about 50 to 100 specimens. The density ranges between 1 and 26 trees per hectare.
The tree blooms during the dry season and its fruits (which take up to 15 months to ripen on the tree), fall at the beginning of the rainy season. The flower is pollinated by are the bees of the Genera Bombus, Centris, Epicharis, Eulaema and Xylocopa variety. These bees visit the flowers to feed on their nectar, and are impregnated with the pollen of the plant. The bees then visit other flowers and the pollen is deposited in other flowers, resulting in pollination. For fertilization to occur, pollination between flowers of different specimens of Brazil nut trees (not flowers of the same tree). This is necessary as it is an allogamous species.
The seeds take 15 months to ripen on the tree before falling, maturing during the rainy season in January and February. As the fruit weighs between 0.5kg and 1.0kg, the collection process is hazardous, so collectors always wear protective headgear. Once the fruits have fallen to the ground, they are gathered into baskets and transported to a local storage facility where the capsule is separated from the seed. They are then taken by truck to a factory where they are processed and made ready for export.
The primary uses of the tree are for harvesting its seeds, known as Brazil nuts. For centuries, Brazil nuts have been an essential food source for many Amazonian tribes and are now sold commercially as a dried fruit. They can be used in a variety of products, such as ice cream, pastries, sweets, and desserts. A plant-based drink called Brazil nut milk (castanha leite) is also made from the seeds. Brazil nut oil, rich in linolenic acid, is prized for its cosmetic benefits, particularly for enhancing skin beauty. The residue from oil extraction is processed into a protein-rich flour, which can be mixed with wheat flour to make bread or used as animal feed.
The tree’s wood, which has a reddish-brown colour, can be used for furniture making, although logging is illegal in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. The fruit capsule (pixidium) is often burned or used in local crafts, such as making boxes, ornaments, and mortars. White Lion Foods converts this wood into energy to use in its factory.
White Lion Foods is a leading Agri-tech group and one of Latin America’s fastest-growing businesses, headquartered in Singapore with food production facilities in Peru and Brazil. White Lion Foods has commercial subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, South Korea, UAE, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and we use leading-edge technology to produce the highest quality Brazil nuts and fresh garlic.
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