The Use Of Nutmeg Oil / Oleoresin Oil in Food Application
How Is Nutmeg Oil and Its Oleoresin Used?
In the United States, nutmeg is popularly used as a baking spice in cooler months. It’s used heavily in fall desserts, in pumpkin spice blends, and it’s what gives eggnog its distinct flavor. Nutmeg is more widely used in Black diaspora cooking because of its history in African and Caribbean cuisine.
Beyond the United States and its use in desserts, nutmeg is used in savory cooking as well. It is an essential part of spice blends like garam masala and quatre épices. Nutmeg is subtly layered into the mother sauce, bechamel, and can also be found in Jamaican jerk seasoning spice. On the island of Penang in Malaysia, the astringent fruit is sweetened and used in juice.
Nutmeg is not just used as a culinary spice. In Ayurvedic and Iranian medicinal practices, it is administered as an astringent, digestive aid, and to help with insomnia.
Nutmeg Oleoresin like nutmeg oil is found in many food applications nowadays. The use of nutmeg oleoresin has been adopted in China into making of sauces. They would mixed the oleoresin in proportion according to the ratio they would use the nutmeg powder for example, One kg of nutmeg oleoresin equals 40kg of nutmeg powder. This allow the manufacturer to save cost in warehousing, transportation and not worry of mold and fungus contamination to their nutmeg powder.
In addition, ground nutmeg does not pack the flavor punch as compared with nutmeg oleoresin does. This is due to the customisation of the nutmeg oleoresin that producer can provide which readily serve the sauces manufacturer needs.
Try and add some nutmeg oleoresin to your sauce making next time. You will be surprise how easy it is and saving you the time of preparation the nutmeg powder in advance.
