Researchers in Morocco and France tested 21 different, randomly selected, samples of argan oil from different areas in Morocco, currently the only source of this oil.
They found that whichever process was used for the extraction - traditional, mechanical, or industrial - the chemical composition of the oil was preserved.
Not only this, the press extraction, "respects the critical factors to obtain a beneficial effect on human health - a specific fatty acid balance and high tocopherol and sterol levels," say the scientists from Rabat in Morocco, and Amiens in France.
Fresh to western markets, argan oil will compete with other speciality oils, such as avocado, pumpkin seed and macademia nut, as both an ingredient in formulations, and as a retail product for the shelves.
Growth may well be driven by premium ranges for North African cuisine such as tagines and couscous.
Used in Moroccan cuisine for centuries argan oil has a sweet nutty aroma, and is currently only sourced from Morocco.
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 UK firm Silbury Marketing that has started importing the product into UK markets on a quantity specific basis, 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.
"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 recently commented 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.
Full findings for the press extraction study can be found at the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53 (6), 2081 -2087, 2005. 10.1021/jf040290t S0021-8561(04)00290-0.