The Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) is a South American tree in the family Lec

ythidaceae, and also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seed.
The Brazil nut tree is the only species in the monotypic genus Bertholletia. It
is native to the Guianas, Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and
eastern Bolivia. It occurs as scattered trees in large forests on the banks of
the Amazon River, Rio Negro, Tapajs, and the Orinoco. The genus is named after th
e French chemist Claude Louis Berthollet.
The Brazil nut is a large tree, reaching 50 m (160 ft) tall and with a trunk 1 t
o 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) in diameter, making it among the largest of trees in the A
mazon rainforests. It may live for 500 years or more, and according to some auth
orities often reaches an age of 1,000 years.[1] The stem is straight and commonl
y without branches for well over half the tree's height, with a large emergent c
rown of long branches above the surrounding canopy of other trees.
The bark is grayish and smooth. The leaves are dry-season deciduous, alternate,
simple, entire or crenate, oblong, 2035 cm (7.913.8 in) long and 1015 cm (3.95.9 in)
broad. The flowers are small, greenish-white, in panicles 510 cm (2.03.9 in) long
; each flower has a two-parted, deciduous calyx, six unequal cream-colored petal
s, and numerous stamens united into a broad, hood-shaped mass.
Hazards[edit]In Brazil, it is illegal to cut down a Brazil nut tree. As a result
, they can be found outside production areas, in the backyards of homes and near
roads and streets. The fruit containing nuts is very heavy and rigid, and it po
ses a serious threat to vehicles and persons passing under the tree. At least on
e person has died after being hit on the head by a falling fruit.[2] Unlike real
nuts, the density of the fruit makes them sink in fresh water, which can cause
clogging of waterways in riparian areas.
Reproduction[edit]
A freshly cut Brazil nut fruitBrazil nut trees produce fruit almost exclusively
in pristine forests, as disturbed forests lack the large-bodied bees of the gene
ra Bombus, Centris, Epicharis, Eulaema, and Xylocopa which are the only ones cap
able of pollinating the tree's flowers, with different bee genera being the prim
ary pollinators in different areas, and different times of year.[3][4][5] Brazil
nuts have been harvested from plantations, but production is low and is current
ly not economically viable.[6][7][8]
The fruit takes 14 months to mature after pollination of the flowers. The fruit
itself is a large capsule 1015 cm (3.95.9 in) in diameter, resembling a coconut en
docarp in size and weighing up to 2 kg (4.4 lb). It has a hard, woody shell 812 m
m (0.310.47 in) thick, which contains eight to 24 triangular seeds 45 cm (1.62.0 in
) long (the "Brazil nuts") packed like the segments of an orange.
The capsule contains a small hole at one end, which enables large rodents like t
he agouti to gnaw it open. They then eat some of the nuts inside while burying o
thers for later use; some of these are able to germinate into new Brazil nut tre
es. Most of the seeds are "planted" by the agoutis in shady places, and the youn
g saplings may have to wait years, in a state of dormancy, for a tree to fall an
d sunlight to reach it, when it starts growing again. Capuchin monkeys have been
reported to open Brazil nuts using a stone as an anvil.
Nomenclature[edit]
Brazil nut seeds in shell
Depiction of the Brazil nut in Scientific American Supplement, No. 598, June 18,
1887Despite their name, the most significant exporter of Brazil nuts is not Bra
zil but Bolivia, where they are called nuez de Brasil. In Brazil, these nuts are
called castanhas-do-par (literally "chestnuts from Par"), but Acreans call them c
astanhas-do-acre instead. Indigenous names include juvia in the Orinoco area.
Though it is commonly called the Brazil nut, in botanical terms it is the seed f
rom the fruit of this tree. To a botanist, a nut is a hard-shelled indehiscent f
ruit.
In the United States Brazil nuts were, until the 1960s, known by the epithet "ni
gger toes,"[9] though the term fell out of favor as public use of the racial slu
r became increasingly unacceptable. They can be seen being sold in a market unde
r this name in a scene from the 1922 Stan Laurel film The Pest.
Nut production[edit]Around 20,000 tons of Brazil nuts are harvested each year, o
f which Bolivia accounts for about 50%, Brazil 40%, and Peru 10% (2000 estimates
).[10] In 1980, annual production was around 40,000 tons per year from Brazil al
one, and in 1970, Brazil harvested a reported 104,487 tons of nuts.[6]
Effects of harvesting[edit]Brazil nuts for international trade can come from wil
d collection rather than from plantations. This has been advanced as a model for
generating income from a tropical forest without destroying it. The nuts are ga
thered by migrant workers known as castanheiros.
Analysis of tree ages in areas that are harvested show that moderate and intense
gathering takes so many seeds, not enough are left to replace older trees as th
ey die. Sites with light gathering activities had many young trees, while sites
with intense gathering practices had hardly any young trees.[11]
Statistical tests were done to determine what environmental factors could be con
tributing to the lack of younger trees. The most consistent effect was found to
be the level of gathering activity at a particular site. A computer model predic
ting the size of trees where people picked all the nuts matched the tree size da
ta gathered from physical sites that had heavy harvesting.
Upon harvesting and collecting the ripened cases that fall off the trees harvest
ers have to be cautious because they are easily heavy enough to kill a person. F
atal accidents are not uncommon among collectors they stop work at once if the w
ind suddenly strengthens, because this can cause a bombardment.[12]
Uses[edit]Nutrition[edit]
Brazil nuts after shell removalBrazil nuts, dried, unblanched, shelled Nutrition
al value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 2,743 kJ (656 kcal)

Carbohydrates 12.27 g
Starch 0.25 g
Sugars 2.33 g
Dietary fiber 7.5 g

Fat 66.43 g
Saturated 15.137 g
Monounsaturated 24.548 g
Polyunsaturated 20.577 g

Protein 14.32 g
Tryptophan 0.141 g
Threonine 0.362 g
Isoleucine 0.516 g
Leucine 1.155 g
Lysine 0.492 g
Methionine 1.008 g
Cystine 0.367 g
Phenylalanine 0.630 g
Tyrosine 0.420 g
Valine 0.756 g
Arginine 2.148 g
Histidine 0.386 g
Alanine 0.577 g
Aspartic acid 1.346 g
Glutamic acid 3.147 g
Glycine 0.718 g
Proline 0.657 g
Serine 0.683 g

Vitamins
Thiamine (B1) (54%)0.617 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (3%)0.035 mg
Niacin (B3) (2%)0.295 mg
Vitamin B6 (8%)0.101 mg
Folate (B9) (6%)22 g
Vitamin C (1%)0.7 mg
Vitamin E (38%)5.73 mg

Trace metals
Calcium (16%)160 mg
Iron (19%)2.43 mg
Magnesium (106%)376 mg
Manganese (58%)1.223 mg
Phosphorus (104%)725 mg
Potassium (14%)659 mg
Sodium (0%)3 mg
Zinc (43%)4.06 mg

Other constituents
Water 3.48 g
Selenium 1917 g
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link to USDA Database entry
Units
g = micrograms mg = milligrams
IU = International units

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database
Brazil nuts are 18% protein, 13% carbohydrates, and 69% fat by weight, and 91% o
f their calories come from fat. The fat breakdown is roughly 25% saturated, 41%
monounsaturated, and 34% polyunsaturated.[13] Due to their high polyunsaturated
fat content, primarily omega-6 fatty acids, shelled Brazil nuts soon become ranc
id.
Nutritionally, Brazil nuts are a good source of some vitamins and minerals. A cu
p (133 grams) of Brazil nuts contains the vitamins thiamin (0.8 mg55% DV) and vit
amin E (7.6 mg38% DV); minerals calcium (213 mg21% DV), magnesium (500 mg125% DV),
phosphorus (946 mg96% DV), copper (2.3 mg116% DV), and manganese (1.6 mg81%).[14] B
razil nuts are perhaps the richest dietary source of selenium; 28 g (1 oz, 68 nut
s) can contain as much as 544 g.[15] This is 10 times the adult U.S. Recommended
Dietary Allowances, more even than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level, although th
e amount of selenium within batches of nuts varies greatly.[16]
Recent research suggests that proper selenium intake is correlated with a reduce
d risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer.[17] This has led some health c
ommentators and nutritionists to recommend the consumption of Brazil nuts as a p
rotective measure.[18][19] However, these findings are inconclusive. Other inves
tigations into the effects of selenium on prostate cancer have also been inconcl
usive.[20]
Brazil nuts have one of the highest concentrations of phytic acid at 2 to 6% of
dry weight. Phytic acid can prevent absorption of some nutrients, mainly iron, b
ut is also a subject of research and possibly confers health benefits.[citation
needed]
Despite the possible health benefits of the nut, the European Union has imposed
strict regulations on the import from Brazil of Brazil nuts in their shells, as
the shells have been found to contain high levels of aflatoxins, which can lead
to liver cancer.[21]
Brazil nuts contain small amounts of radium. Although the amount of radium, a ra
dioactive element, is very small, about 17 pCi/g (40260 Bq/kg), and most of it is
not retained by the body, this is 1000 times higher than in other foods. Accordi
ng to Oak Ridge Associated Universities, this is not because of elevated levels
of radium in the soil, but due to "the very extensive root system of the tree."[
22]
In the United Kingdom, Brazil nuts are the second most common cause of nut aller
gic reactions. There has been one known, published and confirmed case of an alle
rgic reaction to Brazil nuts resulting from sexual transmission.[23][24]
Other uses[edit]
A carved Brazil nut fruitAs well as its food use, Brazil nut oil is also used as
a lubricant in clocks, for making artists' paints, and in the cosmetics industr
y.
Engravings in Brazil nut shells were supposedly used as decorative jewelery by t
he indigenous tribes in Bolivia, although no examples still exist. Because of it
s hardness, Brazil nut shell has often been pulverized and used as an abrasive t
o polish softer materials such as metals and even ceramics (in the same way as j
eweler's rouge is used). A high luster could be acquired by a final application
of carnauba wax, only produced in north-eastern Brazil.
The lumber from Brazil nut trees (not to be confused with Brazilwood) is of exce
llent quality, but logging the trees is prohibited by law in all three producing
countries (Brazil, Bolivia and Peru). Illegal extraction of timber and land cle
arances present a continuing threat.[25]