HARVESTING AND PROCESSING OF MORINGA SEED

HARVESTING AND PROCESSING OF MORINGA SEED

Harvesting and Storage of Moringa Seed

• Pods should be harvested as early as possible when they reach maturity i.e. (when they turn brown and dry; if left in the tree for long, they split open and fall onto the ground)
• After harvesting, the pods are dried under the sun for 2 days and seeds are manually extracted by splitting open the pods
• Store seeds in well-ventilated sacks in a cool, dry and shaded area. Seeds remain viable for planting for at least two years.

Processing of Moringa Seed

Moringa seeds are processed into oil. Moringa oil should not be stored for more than 6 months because it goes bad quickly. It is important to process the oil only when a market has been found, or when usage will be done within the six months.

Moringa oil is processed using oil extractors, both manual and electric. Most fabricators are able to make oil extracting machines which are portable and user friendly. Store the processed oil in clean and dry containers or bottles.