Sea-Buckthorn (cătină)
Hippophae rhamnoides — Romanian sea-buckthorn berries and pulp/seed oil. Omega-7 rich, vitamin-C dense; organic only where the supplier is certified, Certificate of Analysis from the supplier.
Who supplies wholesale sea buckthorn in the EU?
Within the EU, Romania's sub-Carpathian belt (Buzău, Prahova, Vrancea) is a major production base for sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), alongside plantations elsewhere in Central and Northern Europe. It is traded as IQF berries, dried berries, juice and puree, pulp oil and seed oil. TANDOR is an introducer based in Romania: you send the product, form, quantity and delivery country, we ask EU producers for written offers and introduce you directly — the producer sells and invoices you. Organic status is the producer's own certificate, which you check in EU TRACES. Prices are quoted on request, based on a current offer from the supplier.
Common applications
Current sourcing
Prices
Prices are quoted on request, based on a current offer from the supplier.
Quality controls & specifications
Sea-buckthorn is one of the few botanicals where the chemistry matters as much as the origin. Pulp (mesocarp) oil and seed oil are chemically distinct products — buyers should specify which they need, and the supplier should document fatty-acid profile, vitamin-C content, peroxide value, and contamination panels against EU baselines.
- Pulp oil (sarı-turuncu mezokarp): palmitoleic acid (Omega-7) typically 25–35% — the rare commercially-relevant Omega-7 source
- Seed oil (açık sarı): linoleic + α-linolenic dominant, Omega-3/Omega-6 balanced profile around 1:1
- Vitamin C content: typically 200–800 mg / 100 g fresh berry — among the highest in temperate fruits
- Carotenoid + flavonoid panel (β-carotene, zeaxanthin, quercetin glycosides) — pigments drive the orange colour and antioxidant claim
- Peroxide value <10 meq O₂/kg for cold-pressed oils; storage under N₂ or amber-glass to preserve
- Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As) against EU Reg. 2023/915 — wild-harvest lots may need cadmium screen depending on soil
- Pesticide residue panel; EU-Organic operator status disclosed (control body identifier per Certificate of Analysis)
- IQF berries: visual + microbiological panel (TPC, Yeasts & Moulds, Salmonella, E. coli) aligned to EU Reg. 2073/2005
Sample request: 100–500 g per format, dispatched by the producer after confirmation, against a signed non-disclosure note. Larger evaluation lots available against partial freight cost recovery during the pre-launch phase.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sea-buckthorn pulp oil and seed oil?+
The two oils come from different parts of the same fruit and have materially different chemistry. Pulp (mesocarp) oil is pressed from the orange flesh and is rich in palmitoleic acid (Omega-7), typically 25–35%, plus carotenoids that give it a deep red-orange colour — this is the high-value cosmetic and nutraceutical oil. Seed oil is pressed from the seeds, has a pale yellow colour, and is dominated by linoleic + α-linolenic acid in a roughly 1:1 ratio — closer to a balanced essential-fatty-acid oil. A spec that simply says 'sea-buckthorn oil' without specifying pulp vs seed will almost always cause downstream confusion.
How much Omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) does cătină pulp oil actually contain?+
Peer-reviewed industrial pulp oils report palmitoleic acid in the 32–42% range (Fatima PLOS ONE 2012; Yang & Kallio J. Agric. Food Chem. 2001). Marketing claims of 50%+ are upper outliers from individual cultivars — the defensible spec is a GC-MS verified palmitoleic floor written into the contract (commonly ≥25% as a conservative procurement guarantee). Macadamia nut oil — the closest commercial alternative — sits at 15–22% palmitoleic (Wei et al. Food Chem. 2019), so sea-buckthorn pulp oil typically delivers roughly 1.5–2.5× the Omega-7 concentration of macadamia on a per-oil basis. Subspecies (carpatica vs. mongolica) and extraction method influence the exact figure; a GC-MS fatty-acid profile per batch is the contractual proof.
Is Romanian organic-certified sea-buckthorn available at industrial volume?+
Yes. The documented Romanian production geography is the sub-Carpathian belt — Buzău, Prahova, Vrancea — with Romanian-bred cultivars and certified organic cooperatives running the organic supply chain. Industrial volumes (multi-tonne IQF, hundreds of kg of pulp oil) are achievable but typically require harvest-window pre-booking — the berry has a narrow optimal harvest window late August through October and certified operators allocate by contract. Pre-booking 4–6 months ahead of harvest is the standard procurement pattern for guaranteed allocation. The 2022 supply shock (drought across China/Mongolia/Eastern Europe; global supply ~45% of projection) remains the recent industry reference point for why pre-booking matters.
What are the typical MOQs and packaging formats?+
Dried whole berries: 25 kg cartons / 100 kg paper sacks. IQF berries: 10 kg cartons / 1 tonne pallets for industrial juice and puree lines. Pulp oil: 1 kg amber glass, 5 kg HDPE, 25 kg steel drum with N₂ headspace. Seed oil: 5 kg / 25 kg HDPE. Powder (freeze-dried berry): 5 kg / 25 kg paper-foil sacks. MOQs scale with packaging form — a sample request of 100–500 g is standard before a first commercial PO.
What contamination tests should a buyer specify?+
Standard EU panel: heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As) against Reg. 2023/915; pesticide residue multi-residue panel (LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS); for IQF and dried berries, microbiological panel (TPC, Yeasts & Moulds, Salmonella, E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae) per Reg. 2073/2005; for oils, peroxide value and acid value at point of dispatch. Wild-harvest lots from areas with historical industrial activity may warrant a more aggressive cadmium screen — Hippophae is a known Cd-accumulator in contaminated soils.