Home | Blog | Mānuka Biologicals

Mānuka Biologicals

June 20, 2023 Melissa Barrett

Mānuka Biologicals

PureNature has been sourcing our Mānuka Essential Oil from Mānuka Biologicals for some time now, and we are excited to share more about this amazing company with you and really dive into some technical information about the hero itself – Mānuka Essential Oil.

Mānuka Biologicals strives to sustainably cultivate, process, and develop East Cape Mānuka oil in a way that benefits both the environment and the community. In the East Cape region of New Zealand, economic conditions can be tough, and many find employment hard to find. Mānuka Biologicals make it a priority to employ and train people from the local community. By aiming to offer sustainable employment, this industry contributes to the improvement of the lives of many in the community and offers prospects for upcoming generations.

“Seed to Skin” is the circular sustainable lifecycle Mānuka Biologicals created which includes - responsible sourcing, sustainable innovation, people and communities and product safety and quality - ensuring that mānuka oil is of the highest quality and purity, all while fostering collaboration and trust throughout the entire value chain.

Production

Harvesting Mānuka leaves and twigs are harvested from sustainably managed crops and remote wild harvest plantations. this is done both manually and mechanically with high-tech, customised equipment.

Extraction Mānuka foliage undergoes pure steam distillation in stainless steel equipment for 5 - 7 hours to extract the purest form of mānuka oil. No chemicals are used in this process.

Separation The steam condensation process is used to separate the oil from condensed water. No solvents are used in this process.

Processing Mānuka oil is then filtered and dried. The grade is tested by an independent laboratory and is batched according to triketone content where levels are used to standardise the oil for global supply.

B triketones (MBTK™)

East Cape Mānuka oil is especially rich in ß-triketones. Mānuka oil from various locations in New Zealand can be divided into 3 main chemo-type groups according to the ratio of monoterpenes/ sesquiterpenes/ beta-triketones.

Beta-triketones are notably absent in Kanuka and Tea Tree Oil but are present in East Cape Mānuka oil in the forms of leptospermone, isoleptospermone, flavesone and grandiflorone. These components have been verified via GC-FID/MS. Beta - triketones possess powerful antimicrobial activity. Mānuka oil from the East Cape Region of New Zealand yields the highest Beta-triketones levels (up to 30x higher).

MBTK™ stands for Mānuka Oil Beta Triketones and is a grading system that allows for anyone to identify the levels of Beta-triketones.

Typical Mānuka Oil concentrations and blends:

Skincare and acne: 0.5 – 1%, Dermatological therapeutics: 1-2%, Personal care, oral care, sanitization products: 0.2-1%, Aromatherapy: 2-5 drops, alone or with other oils.