How Maca Powder Is Made
Posted by The Maca Team on 22nd Oct 2014
Maca is a hardy plant that grows in the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia.It has been used for thousands of years as a food for both animals and people.Although the leaves of the Maca plant are edible and contain some nutrients, it is the root of the plant that is most valued.
Maca is typically planted in August/September.8-9 months later the roots are harvested.The harvest occurs in the late winter and early spring and as the roots are pulled from the ground they are laid out on large tarps to be sundried.The process of sun drying in the high altitude takes just 10-14 days.At this point the roots are ready to be processed into Maca powder.
After the roots are transported to a processing facility, they are washed in an organic cleansing solution to rid them of soil and bacteria.They are then fed through large mills that grind the roots into a fine flour.The resultant maca powder is then bagged immediately to preserve the maximum amount of nutrition. Our Maca contains nothing other than Maca root.
All of the batches of Maca powder we sell are tested for purity, for the lack of any bacteria or other pathogens as well as for the lack of any significant quantity of heavy metals.Our Maca powders have a shelf life of 2 years at full potency.They can still be consumed after 2 years, however some of the nutrients may have been compromised by that time.Most people find that they like Maca so much that even a 1 KG bag goes pretty quickly.And the good news for those who don’t care much for Maca powder is that we have Maca in capsule form as well as in liquid extract form.