Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis [Link] Schneider) is a shrub mainly cultivated in subtropical arid countries. Its seeds produce a unique oil, called jojoba oil, that consists of liquid wax monoesters similar in structure to the wax component of human sebum. Jojoba oil is well known as a skin moisturizer. To examine the potentials of jojoba as a crop in a subtropical arid country, we established a 4.2 ha experimental jojoba farm in Egypt in 2017. After two years’ cultivation, the first seeds were harvested in 2019. To elucidate the properties of crude jojoba oil extracted from them, oxidative stability and antioxidant activity, both of which are significant properties for natural oils, were compared with other oils. We observed that crude jojoba oil had higher oxidative stability and antioxidant activity than over two-thirds of the other oils. Although refined jojoba oil exhibited the highest oxidative stability among all oils, its antioxidant activity was poor, unlike the crude type, suggesting that the latter oil is suitable for cosmetic use because it has both good oxidative stability and antioxidant activity. These properties are also useful for other applications such as industrial lubrication, suggesting that jojoba is a promising fruit crop in subtropical arid countries, which will also contribute to economically-sustainable desert greening.
