MAJU SUPERFOODS
COMPANY INFO
Maju Superfoods is based in San Diego, California. One of the company’s co-owners is of Indonesian origin, which inspired the brand name “Maju” — an Indonesian word meaning “advanced.” Today, Maju offers a limited but focused range of health supplements, with black seed oil positioned as the company’s flagship product.
Notably, Maju also manages the largest Facebook group dedicated to black seed oil, serving as a platform for brand visibility and community engagement.
● On March 20, 2025, we reached out via email to request detailed information and any available lab analyses for their black seed oil. No response was received. All information in this review was obtained through independent research using publicly accessible online sources.
It is worth mentioning that only three companies responded to our inquiry: Piping Rock, Bionatal, and Prime Natural.
PACKING AND SAFETY SEAL
The oil is packaged in a standard amber glass bottle with a plastic cap, commonly used by black seed oil brands in the U.S. market. It features a transparent shrink wrap and includes a liner inside the cap as well as a plastic dropper insert in the bottle neck. However, the neck itself is not foil-sealed.
● The sealing is not robust enough to prevent leakage, especially during high-temperature conditions, when black seed oil can expand by up to 20% during shipping.
SEEDS ORIGIN
Both the product label and the company website indicate that this black seed oil is made from Turkish-grown Nigella sativa seeds.
OIL DISCRIPTION
This black seed oil has a light yellow, cloudy appearance, accompanied by a mild herbal aroma and light bitterness.
In our evaluation, the oil is identical in color, flavor, and overall taste to several other brands, including Zhou Nutrition, Piping Rock, Prime Natural, Sweet Sunnah Premium, Kiva, and Amazing Herbs Premium. However, there is a notable difference in bitterness when compared to Freshfield, Healths Harmony, Rawya, and Rawya Extra Strong.
Some of our testing team members observed that the bitterness is less pronounced or slower to develop in the mouth, a trait also noticed in Prime Natural and Kiva oils.
● This delayed or milder bitterness is commonly seen in Turkish black seed oils and can be attributed to factors such as variation in farm elevation and climate, especially between the cooler Black Sea coast and the warmer Mediterranean coast.
THYMOQUINONE (TQ)
The label states a thymoquinone content of “Minimum 2%,” which aligns closely with the estimated TQ levels found in other Turkish black seed oil brands. While none of these brands have publicly released certificates of analysis, their reported TQ levels are as follows:
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Rawya, Rawya Extra Strong – Minimum 2%
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Sweet Sunnah Premium – 1.71%
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Freshfield – 1.64%
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Prime Natural, Kiva – Over 1.5%
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Amazing Herbs Premium – Minimum 1.2%
The Black Seed Oil Research Group selected Maju black seed oil for testing due to its notably light bitterness compared to other oils derived from Turkish Nigella sativa seeds. The label on Maju oil states a "Minimum 2%" thymoquinone content, matching the highest TQ level found in Rawya, Freshfield, and Healths Harmony, the strongest oils from Turkish seeds, and surpassing all other medium bitterness Turkish black seed oils. Given that TQ is an acidic compound, the reduced bitterness of Maju oil further suggests a correlation with its TQ content.
The test results on April 11, 2025, confirmed expectations, revealing a TQ level of 0.91%. This outcome reinforces the connection between the oil’s taste and its TQ content. Moreover, this experiment highlights a key lesson for consumers: relying solely on high TQ claims on labels, without verified public analysis, is a flawed approach when selecting a product, regardless of a brand’s prominent marketing efforts.
● As confirmed by experienced farmers, thymoquinone levels can vary even within the same country, depending on environmental conditions. In Turkey—a country known for its mountainous terrain—the elevation of farms can differ significantly. Additionally, climatic variations between the cooler Black Sea coast in the north and the warmer Mediterranean coast in the south further influence the potency and TQ concentration in the seeds.
TABLE OF ANALYSIS
Extraction oil videos & photos
NO
Acids pH level analyses
NO
Nigellon level
NO
Non-filtered oil with seeds
NO
Thymoquinone level
YES
Volatile Oils level
NO
Cold press method analyses
NO
Thymohydroquinone level
NO
Heavy Metals level analyses
NO
Thymol level
NO
Industry Clarifications:
(The following industry points are worth noting)
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"Unrefined" ≠ Non-Filtered: Even unrefined oils are typically filtered and don’t contain seed particles.
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"Cold Press" misuse on the label: The term is widely used without proof. True cold pressing should be validated by testing for compounds like Benzo(a)pyrene and related PAHs.
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"Organic" ≠ Pesticide-Free: USDA standards still allow natural pesticides (§§ 205.601 - 205.602). No Nigella sativa seeds are entirely free from them.
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"Non-GMO" claims are unnecessary: Nigella sativa is not genetically modified, and global demand doesn’t justify GMO cultivation.
FINAL RANKING #5-C
Positions #1 and #2 in our ranking are firmly held by the world’s most potent black seed oils—both extracted from Ethiopian Nigella sativa seeds.
Position #3 (sub-positions A through D) includes select Turkish black seed oils that are slightly more bitter than other Turkish-sourced products, giving them a mild edge in strength and earning them a higher spot on the list.
Position #4 (sub-positions A through E) consists of Turkish black seed oils with a standard medium level of bitterness. Despite extensive testing, no significant differences in taste or potency were found among these brands.
Position #5 is reserved for the remaining Turkish black seed oils that exhibit a lighter level of bitterness, with no noticeable distinguishing characteristics, even after deeper analysis.
Among these lighter oils, no brand emerged as a clear leader in quality or strength. However, Prime Natural earned sub-position “A” as the only company in this group that responded to our information request — showing a basic level of engagement. Kiva is placed at sub-position “B” due to its neutral standing, with no notable strengths or weaknesses.
Finally, Maju receives sub-position “C.” While the brand runs an aggressive online advertising campaign and manages the largest Facebook group promoting black seed oil, our testing showed that Maju offers one of the weakest Turkish black seed oils on the market with confirmed TQ test results 0.91% — making it a clear case of marketing outweighing actual product quality.
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