Macadamia (Macadamia ternifolia) is native to Australia and now widely cultivated in other regions including South Africa, Hawaii, California, New Zealand, and South America. The nuts are commercially important as a food crop, popular in cookies and chocolates as well as eaten raw. The oil is edible and is used for frying or as salad oil and also in cosmetics as an emollient.

Macadamia nuts are highly calorific and are a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals as well as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). They contain higher levels of MUFA than other nuts, which is up to 80% of the total fat content and predominantly consists of oleic and palmitoleic acids. They also contain other bioactive constituents such as tocotrienols and squalene, which may be effective against oxidative stress induced by sunlight. The anti-oxidant activities of macadamia oils and extracts in different cultivars have been investigated. It was also reported that the anti-oxidant properties of macadamia nuts are related to the level of total phenolic compound, total anti-oxidant capacity, and α-tocopherol.