Description

The Baobab tree must be one of the most intriguing trees growing on the African continent – and is often referred to as the “upside-down” tree which can have a lifespan of up to 6,000 years. Botanically is is known as Adansonia digitata, named after the French botanist Michel Adanson who studied these trees.

Origin of Baobab oil

The baobab is probably the best known tree in Africa. Its thick, grey, fibrous trunk (reaching, in some instances, over 25 meters in circumference) and large, spreading crown, seasonally devoid of foliage, are instantly recognizable. Baobabs are extremely long-lived, with some specimens believed to be as much as 3,000 years old. The baobab belongs to its own family, Bombacaceae.

The Baobab tree has digitate (hand-shaped) leaves, and ovoid fruit, with a hard woody shell covered in yellowish-green velvety hairs, are again easily identified. Inside its shell, the fruit contains a number of seeds, embedded in a whitish, powdery pulp. Tangy and nutritious, the pulp makes a tasty food or, after soaking in water or milk, a refreshing beverage.

The tree is found throughout Africa, generally at low altitudes and in the hotter, drier areas. In fact, so widespread is the tree that, to many people, it is an icon, symbolic of the continent itself.

Extraction

The oil is extracted by cold-pressing the seeds.

Chemical composition

Baobab oil is a semi-fluid golden-yellow oil that is gently scented and contains nearly equal amounts of saturated (33%), mono-unsaturated (36%) and poly-unsaturated (31%) fatty acids, and the essential linoleic acid is of special interest.