Argan oil gives edge in ethnic cuisine market?

Related tags Fatty acid

Food formulators looking to improve the flavour profile of North
African ready meals may start to trial argan oil, the edible
speciality oil that is only sourced from Morocco.

Set to compete with other speciality oils such as avocado, pumpkin seed and macademia nut, UK raw ingredient suppliers Silbury Marketing are working with food developers to introduce the nutty-flavoured oil into new recipes to compete in the growing ethnic cuisine market.

"Developers are always on the look out for something new to give their product an edge and away from 'me-too' products. Argan oil fills this role,"​ Kate Hall, marketing manager at Silbury Marketing tells FoodNavigator.com.

The ethnic food trend is fuelling growth in the ready meal market, that according to market analysts Mintel rose some 29 per cent, from €5.4 billion to €7 billion, between 1998 and 2002 in the five major European markets - UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy.

Mintel's research shows that some 55 per cent of the UK adult population claim to enjoy eating foreign foods, rising to 57 per cent of ready meal users, highlighting the potential for sales of all ethnic foods in Europe.

Applications for argan oil, for which the only source is the argan tree in Morocco, may well be driven by premium ranges for North African cuisine such as tagines and couscous.

The oil, which Silbury Marketing is currently importing on a quantity specific basis, has a sweet nutty aroma and has been used in Moroccan cuisine for centuries.

The nuts are cold pressed without the use of chemicals, solvents, alcohols, or preservatives - over 110kg of nuts are needed to process one litre of oil. Fragile, argan oil may be impacted by high temperatures although it has a smoking point of 420 degrees F.

According to the UK firm, argan oil is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, including oleic acid and linoleic acid (omega-6), believed to contribute to the lowering of cholesterol levels.

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