Chemical Properties
The nutmeg or mace is an evergreen tree, 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft) in height and grows in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Penang,
Moluccas and in several other islands of the Indian Ocean. It has alternate leaves and dioecious flowers. Only female trees bear nuts;
male plants are interdispersed in the groves only to ensure pollination. The ripe fruits are yellow-red with a fleshy pericarp; the red
arillode is tightly wrapped around a woody hull containing the seed. The nut is removed and dried to produce nutmeg. The dried aril
yields the spice mace, which possesses a flavor similar to that of nutmeg. Thus mace designates the dried arillodes of nutmeg. The
ratio of nutmeg to mace is approximately 10:1. Nutmeg and mace yield different, but sometimes similar, products. The parts used are
the nuts (free of the outer pulp) and arillodes (decolorized with lime).
The most commercially important qualities of nutmeg and mace are as follows: Banda nutmeg and Banda mace contain 8 and 13%
essential oil, respectively; Java nutmeg and Java mace contain 6.5 and 11% essential oil, respectively; Siauw nutmeg and Siauw mace
contain 6.5% and 10 to 12% essential oil, respectively. These qualities are further subdivided according to size—large, medium and
small—for extraction and according to appearance—whole, worm eaten, etc.
Composition
Nutmeg seeds contain approximately 30% of a fixed oil called nutmeg butter. The oil contains myristic acid and
glycerides of lauric, stearic, palmitic and tridecanoic acids. The aromatic oil contains d-camphene, diterpene, myristicin, elemicin
and small amounts of other chemicals.
Taste threshold values
Taste characteristics at 50 ppm: woody, spicy, citrus, terpy, peppery and warm.
