Maca powder production and producers

Cultivation/ Harvest

The yellow, red, black and purple Maca roots are harvested by our producers by hand in the months of June and July and then put on huge canvases next to the fields to dry.

Processing

The tubers are weighed after about 10 days and then put into 50kg bags and then labelled with the name of the growing area.

The tubers are dried a second time on special raffia mats in Junin, the town where our suppliers have their production site.

As soon as the moisture content reaches approximately 35 %, there is a final drying stage in a separate area, which has special UV filter mats. The Maca roots are kept in this protected environment for approximately 80 – 90 days in which time their moisture content is further reduced to 25 %.

The Maca tubers are stored in special rooms and only made into powder once an order is received.

When the Maca powder is actually produced, the tubers are sorted by hand, washed with water in a mechanical washing drum and then disinfected with a biodegradable lemon extract.

The tubers are crushed in a special grinding machine into granules which are then dried at 40 °C in hot air for approximately 4 hours. It is a top priority to maintain the temperature as it is to reach a final moisture content of no more than 7 % in order to maintain the valuable ingredients and prevent the onset of mould.

Finally the granules are ground in an electric mill and packed into 10kg PP bags.

Control

The powder from our producers is approved for sending to the customer once it has successfully passed a final laboratory control.

Differences between the manufacturing processes

Maca powder: This powder is natural. The roots are produced in the traditional way, gently dried over a long period of time and processed into powder, producing the active ingredients (macamides).

Gelatinised Maca: This powder is particularly suitable for people with sensitive stomachs. However, it is less effective because important ingredients are lost at the high manufacturing temperature. The process of heating (above 80 degrees) is called "gelatinising", not to be confused with gelatine from bones. This product is not to be produced in raw food quality.

Maca extracts are fat-, water- or alcohol-based, so they are not 100% natural. Side effects due to the higher concentration can occur sooner than with the proven (natural) maca powder.