Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is a woody, evergreen desert shrub that, despite its misleading species epitaph, chinensis, is native to the southwestern United States. In cultivation, jojoba may be irrigated during its two- to three-year establishment period after which, assuming that the roots find groundwater, the plants do not require irrigation. During the plant's initial production period of three to ten years, the female plants may produce 350 kilograms of seeds per hectare. After ten years of growth, the plants may yield 500 to 800 kilograms per hectare for many decades.
Jojoba oil is extracted from jojoba seeds and comprises approximately 40 to 60 percent of the mass of the seeds. Jojoba oil is not really an oil per se, as it is not a triglyceride, jojoba oil is a plant wax similar to plant cuticular waxes, being composed of long chain alcohols and fatty acids. The value of jojoba oil comes from its desirable stability. Jojoba oil is stable up to 300 degrees Celsius and does not become rancid even after decades of storage. Also, jojoba oil is very similar chemically to the highly prized sperm whale oil, so it is useful in cosmetics.
Jojoba oil was first produced in commercially important quantities during World War II, as a high-temperature lubricant and an extender for petroleum-based lubricants. These jojoba-based products were used for engines, machinery, vehicles, and guns. As seen with guayule, the economics of jojoba oil production did not compare favorably with abundant petroleum products after World War II, so production of jojoba oil decreased sharply after the war.
In recent decades, the economics of jojoba oil production has gone through many fluctuations. In the 1970's the Green Revolution reignited interest in renewable, natural resources, especially products that could replace petrochemicals and animal derived products. Growers took advantage of tax incentives to start farming jojoba. Then the disappearance of tax incentives and the decade-long production time to achieve commercially useful quantities of jojoba seed proved to be economically disastrous for many growers. Many jojoba farms shut down operations. In the 1990's the price of jojoba oil ranged from $40 per gallon to $200 per gallon, an unacceptable fluctuation in price that discouraged many industries from becoming dependent on jojoba oil. The price of jojoba oil must stabilize before industries can once again explore adding jojoba to their lines. Additionally, some unique, value added products containing chemically modified jojoba oil are becoming common in many upscale health and beauty products.
See also: Guayule, Hesperaloe
|
