Almond

Almond (Prunus dulcis)

✓Family – Rosaceae

✓ Almond is an important nut native to Central Asia.

✓Nowadays, the USA (California) is the largest almond producer, followed

by Spain and Australia.

✓Epidemiological studies and clinical trials have reported positive effects of

nuts consumption against a significant number of pathologies such as
obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.
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✓The almond kernel, which constitutes the edible part, is a seed formed by
two large cotyledons covered by a brown skin and protected by an
external hull with an intermediate shell.

✓Once maturity is reached, the hull opens and the seed separates easily.

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Climate
✓Needs Mediterranean climate having slightly hot summer (30-350C).

Soil
✓Deep, loamy, well drained soils are ideal for almond growing.
✓Can grow on a wide variety of soils from finest valley soils to rocky
soils.

Tree
✓Small to medium sized tree with a spreading, open canopy.
✓usually10-15feet in commercial orchards.
✓It has strong root system.
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Leaves
✓About 3-5", linear or slightly ovate.
✓Acute tips and finely serrate margins, sharp-pointed, and denticulated.

Flowers
✓Flowers are white or pink.
✓5-fused sepals, 5-petals,a variable number of stamens(20-40), and one
carpel with two ovules.
✓Self-incompatible and thus require insect pollinators.

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Fruit
✓Drupe, with a non edible and green velvet fleshy hull (Exocarp and
Mesocarp)
✓The shell ( Endocarp) very hard (hard shell) to soft (paper shell) and,
contains one or two edible nuts.

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Fruit ripening

✓Dehiscence of hull or mesocarp

✓Hull split

✓Fruit abscission

✓Dehydration

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 Types of Almonds
1. Sweet almonds (Prunus dulcis )

✓Sweet kernels or bitter kernels is controlled by a single gene, with

sweet dominant to bitter.

✓It contains, 21-26 % protein, 50.64 % fat and 11.8 % fiber.

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2. Bitter almonds (Prunus amara )

✓Contains amygdalin, a cyanogenic glucoside, which in the presence of the

enzyme emulsin, is hydrolyzed to benzaldehyde.

✓Bitter almonds may yield from 4-9 mg of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) per
almond.

✓80-270 ppm is lethal.

✓50-70 bitter almonds is lethal dose for a human, however, bitter flavour
would deter anyone from eating.
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3. Indian almond (Terminalia catappa )

✓Contains, 24 % protein, 54 % fat and 12% fiber.

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 Almond varieties

✓Nonpareil is a paper or soft-shell variety with an attractive kernel of a

medium size, uniform shape, smooth surface and light (blond)
colored skin.

✓Mission type varieties have small, short and plump kernels with
wrinkled surfaces and dark brown skin color.

✓Carmel, Butte, Padre, Fritz, Mission, Ruby, and Marcona

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 Composition of almond
✓Lipid fraction, protein fraction, soluble sugars, mineral fraction,
fibrous fraction and phytochemicals.

✓The proportion of this compound changes according to the cultivar

and the kind of cultivation.

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 Nutritive value
✓Good source of protein (Amandin)

✓Monosaturated fatty acids and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids

✓Cholesterol free

✓Dietary fiber

✓Vitamin E, riboflavin

✓Essential minerals ( Mn, Mg, Cu and P).

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 Health benefits
✓Diets complemented with almond involve a reduction in saturated fatty and
trans fatty acid ingestion and an increment in the consumption of linoleic
and oleic acid, while not leading to weight gain.

✓ Its consumption has beneficial effects on human health, and is specially

related to the lipid profile in the blood and the risk of cardiovascular
diseases.

✓although it also benefits the intestinal transit, reduces blood pressure,

prevents anemia and cancer, protects against free radicals, and so on.

✓On the negative side, the potential allergic reaction of susceptible

individuals to some protein compounds can present a risk associated with
almond consumption.
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What may be the possible risk related to almond
consumption?

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 Forms of almonds
1. In-Shell–The outer hull has been removed, the kernel is left inside
the shell.

2. Whole Natural –Plain kernel

3. Processed –Blanched, Roasted, Sliced or diced and slivered

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 Primary processing
Harvesting

✓The harvest will occur between August - October and between

February – April, depending on the moisture level of the nut.

✓ Harvesting can be done manually or mechanically by shaking the

limbs or the tree trunk to knock the nuts out of the tree.

✓If harvesting is carried out when the hull starts splitting, then the risk
of attack by the naval orange worm, the predominant almond pest,
would decrease.
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Drying

✓The moisture content of the nuts when they first fall from the tree will be
higher and the nuts must be dried on the orchard floor for 7-10 days.

✓However, the longer the nut lies on the floor, the higher the potential risk
of pests, rain damage or other disease.

✓If harvesting is carried out when the hull’s halves are significantly
opened then the moisture level will be lower and the time the almonds
need to dry on the orchard floor will be reduced to 4-7 days.

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✓Once on the orchard floor, nuts are swept into rows to be collected and
stockpiled while waiting to be hulled and shelled.

✓ Stockpiling is a critical stage of the postharvest.

✓The risk of aflatoxins-producing mold growth increases if the

moisture of the in-hull almonds exceeds 9 %.

✓Tarps used to cover the piles can be removed during the day and pulled
over again at night to avoid condensation and an increase in moisture.

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✓Almonds in stockpile are prone to be attacked by pests thus good
hygienic conditions on the orchard floor are essential to reduce the risk of
pests by removing mummies (desiccated nuts left from the previous
harvest), rotten hulls and other debris.

✓Fumigation can also be carried out while the nuts are waiting to be hulled
and shelled.

✓Phosphine is the fumigant that is currently used, replacing methyl

bromide.

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✓Another risk at this stage is concealed damage that can be produced
if the nuts are exposed to high temperature, and humid storage
conditions.

✓ For instance, a summer rain while the nuts are stockpiled and
fumigated will make those nuts more susceptible to a dark brown
to black discoloration in the center of the nut.

✓These nuts cannot be detected by any screening and if the

concealed damaged is extreme the flavor of the almond will be
affected.

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 Almond processing

1. Hulling and shelling

✓Removal of hull and shell.

✓Hulling cylinders (used for wetter hulls) and shear rolls (only for dry
hulls but better for removing tight hulls).

✓The huller will remove the hull leaving the in-shell nut and also helps
remove twigs and foreign matter coming from the fields.

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✓For shelling the almonds, shear cracking rolls can be used.

✓During these processes up to 30% of the kernels could suffer damages

such as scratching, chipping, or breaking.

✓The factors to be considered to avoid such damages on the kernel are:

roller speed differential, almond orientation & roller’s clearance.

✓ Manual shelling may done by hummer or with nutcracker.

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✓Then a series of vibrating screens and aspirators will help to
separate hulls, un-hulled, in-shell and shelled nuts and fine debris.

✓The un-hulled and in-shell nuts will pass again through the huller and
sheller.

✓For In-shell process shelling won’t do.

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Sorting and Grading

✓The samples are checked for size and for any foreign material or
defects, such as insect damage.

✓Electronic scanning equipment, enables the grading time to move

much quicker.

✓Optical Sorting-The almonds pass through an optical sorting machine to

sort out most types of foreign material or nuts that still have the hull
attached.

✓Metal Detector-The almonds then pass through a metal detector and are
packed.
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Packaging

✓The final product is packed into bulk bins or bags or cartons according
to the purpose.

Storage

✓Ideal cold storage condition 5°C and RH<65 (if, can be stored
whole natural nuts about 24 months with no significant loss in
quality).

✓Store almonds in tightly sealed containers at room temperature

between 20 ̊C and 25 ̊C for up to 8 months.
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 Blanched almonds
✓ Blanching is a thermal process that is used to remove almond
skins.

✓A typical blanching contains two steps, Scalding and drying.

✓Minimum process of 2.0 minutes or more of exposure to hot water

at 190°F or above will provide reduction of Salmonella on almonds.

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✓Scalding is a continuous process that is carried out in a circular tube in
which hot water or steam-injected water is used to soak almond
kernels.

✓ The duration of the exposure to hot water is controlled by the scalder

speed dial.

✓The water temperature in the scalder is controlled by a control panel with

a thermocouple attached to the near-end of the immersion section.

✓The scalded almond kernels pass through a series of rubber rollers in the
blanching chamber in which the loosened skins are removed.
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✓The blanched kernels, with some free skins, drop to a shaking table
where the free skins are aspirated away while the debris is rinsed off the
kernels by spraying water.

✓The blanching chamber and water rinsing table operate in a wet and
warm environment.

✓Some thermal stable or thermophilic bacteria that survive the scalding

step can populate to increase microbial count for finished blanched
products.

✓This may reduce by maintaining the aseptic condition throughout the unit.

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 Roasted almonds
✓Roasting changes the flavor profile of the almonds and results in a
brown color and a crunchy texture.

✓ Flavor composition and intensity depend on the roasting

conditions.

✓Dry roasting is a thermal process suitable for almonds.

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✓Hot air roasting / Dry roasting temperatures used for almonds
typically range from 130 to 1540C.

✓Almonds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, however the high degree
of unsaturation makes almond oil susceptible to oxidation during
processing and storage.

✓ Oxidative reactions degrade the quality of roasted almonds and limit

their shelf life.

✓The use of lower hot air roasting temperatures helps to preserve the
almond microstructure and maximizes shelf life.

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✓Hot air roasting for almonds can be optimized by applying a two-step
roasting process.

✓The first step uses an intermediate temperature to stabilize the nut

microstructure, and the second step uses a higher temperature to
generate the desired flavor and color.

✓In the two-step roasting process, microstructure degradation

during roasting is reduced, which in turn leads to increased
oxidative stability.

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 What happened during roasting of
almonds?
✓ During roasting, moisture evaporates from the almonds, resulting in a
crunchy texture.

✓ Also, a complex reaction between sugars and amino acids or

proteins takes place, known as non-enzymatic browning or the
Maillard reaction.

✓Maillard browning leads to the formation of brown or colored

compounds that modify the skin color and also generate a golden or
dark brown color within the kernel.
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✓During non-enzymatic browning many different volatile or non-
volatile reaction compounds are formed.

✓More than 300 flavor compounds that are generated during non-
enzymatic browning and contribute to typical roast flavor have been
described for almonds and other tree nuts.

✓The kinetics of roast flavor development depend largely on

temperature, nut moisture content, and time.

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Roasting

✓A wide range of hot air roasting systems is available, including

continuous roasters and batch roasters.

✓Continuous roasters are usually limited in terms of roasting

temperatures and times, however may be preferable if variations in
product and roasting degree are of minor importance.

✓Batch roasters are very versatile and are often able to achieve a wide
range of roasting degrees and product qualities.

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Cooling

✓Cooling must be considered part of the roasting process.

✓A rapid air-cooling process is essential to stop the roasting

reactions after processing is complete.

✓ The roasted product must be cooled to below 25–30°C to limit

oxidation during storage.

✓The product should not be packed and sealed if the product

temperature is above 30°C because moisture may condense on the
inner surface of the package.
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Packaging

✓To maximize the shelf life of roasted nut products, proper packaging
must be selected.

✓ Packaging materials must be non-transparent, and modified

atmosphere or vacuum packaging may be used to decrease potential
oxidation reactions during storage.

✓ In addition, storage at reduced temperatures is ideal to protect

lipids and flavors, however products must be protected from
condensation when removed from cold warehouses.

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Downstream processing

✓Shelf life expectations for roasted nut products should be considered

in downstream processing.

✓Because oxidation starts immediately after roasting, roasted nuts are

unstable goods and so any further processing should be done as
quickly as possible.

✓Mechanical treatment and transport systems are additional issues for

roasted nuts. Due to low moisture content, roasted almonds are
susceptible to mechanical damage, leading to damaged surface
structures and oil leakage.
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✓Therefore, only minimal downstream processing that affects
appearance and surface integrity should be applied.

✓For chocolate production and dicing applications, the roasted nuts must
first reach a suitable temperature.

✓For applications using ground roasted nuts, the oxidative stability of

the oil is the predominant concern.

✓Microstructure degradation is not an issue because the cellular structure

is completely disintegrated, the oil is the continuous phase, and the
surface exposed to air is reduced.
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 Almond flour

✓ Almond flour is a healthy alternative to use in gluten-free cooking

and baking.

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✓The popularity of almond flour has skyrocketed, primarily imparting a
sweet, buttery flavor with a lighter color to seamlessly incorporate into
baked goods, if made from slivered or blanched almonds.

✓The flour carries a fat content that adds depth, flavor and richness to
the final product, no matter if it’s savory or sweet.

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Almond flour vs Almond meal

✓The distinction is that almond flour is commonly created with blanched

sweet almonds with the skin removed.

✓Almond meal, on the other hand, can have the skin on for a more
“natural” appearance with brown speckles.

✓Health-wise, almond flour is a good bang for your buck and the ideal
alternative for a gluten-free diet.

✓This flour is high in protein (21% by weight), manganese, vitamin E and

monounsaturated fats, low in carbohydrates, and contains fiber.
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Advantages of Almond Flour

✓Gluten-free thus good for celiac disease people.

✓High-protein that works for certain diets.
✓Almond flour also tastes good and creates a distinctively chewy
element to baked goods.
✓Good alternative for diabetics.

Limitation of Almond Flour usage

Since almond flour is gluten-free, it can't be used as if it were wheat

flour because gluten is the protein in wheat that creates structure in
bread and the bread-like texture in other baked goods..
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Processing

✓Start with blanched, skinned almonds.

✓If started with blanched and skinned almonds, no need skinning.

✓To blanch and skin raw almonds, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

✓ When the water is boiling, add the almonds and boil for about 1 minute.

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✓Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.

✓The skins will slip right off, so simply pull them off and discard.

✓Dry thoroughly (at least several hours and up to overnight).

✓Put the blanched, skinned, dry almonds in a food processor.

✓Grind until they’re ground into a sand-like texture.

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 Almond oil
✓With regards to almond oil, in spite of its present low global
production, it should also be taken into account because it has special
physicochemical, sensory and nutritional/therapeutic
characteristics that make it a gourmet product with high market
potential in the short, medium and long-term.

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 Chemical composition of almond oil
✓In the almond lipid fraction five fatty acids are predominant: oleic
acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), palmitic acid (C16:0),
palmitoleic acid (C16:1) and stearic acid (C18:0).

✓Regarding the most abundant fatty acids, the unsaturated fatty acids
represent about 90% of the fatty acid content. Regarding the
unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated represents the highest
proportion with respect to polyunsaturated.

✓Almond oil contains, fat-soluble bio actives, consists of tocopherols,

tocotrienols, phospholipids, sterols, phytosterols, Phyto stanols,
sphingolipids and squalene.
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✓The almond oil obtaining process is very similar to the processes for
obtaining other nut oils.

✓The nut is harvested before the autumn rains start (August-September).

✓ After harvesting, the next step is de-hulling, consisting of the removal of

the mesocarp that appears adhered to the nut and has not been lost by
falling from the tree.

✓After de-hulling, the nuts are normally exposed to the sun for two or three
days (drying), as a general rule, or they are subjected to hot air ventilation,
with the aim of finishing their drying.

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✓By using drying, the humidity content is considerably reduced by up
to 5–8%.

✓After that, cracking takes place, which consists of the separation of

the shell and the seed.

✓Finally, oil extraction takes place, generating also a solid edible by-
product. Some extraction systems will require a previous grinding of
the seeds.

✓The most important operations in almond oil extraction, which would

need to be optimized with the aim of obtaining a better quality final
product, are drying and extraction.

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✓Fast almond drying is a fundamental operation from the commercial
point of view (deficient drying reduces the operational profitability,
and the shelf life of nuts susceptible to rancidity).

✓and sanitary point of view (adequate drying prevents the growth and
spread of imperfect fungus Aspergillus flavus, and therefore the
aflatoxin production and accumulation).

✓Almond drying can be done in different ways: direct sun exposure, hot
air oven, using a fan and in hot air dryer.

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✓In recent years, supercritical fluid extraction (CO2) has improved its
conception as a viable alternative to conventional solvent extraction
methods.

✓ Use of lower temperatures and pressures results in higher quality

products.

✓ Using pressures of 330 bar and temperatures of 50 °C, extracted the

oil contained in raw almonds, raw peeled almonds, and roasted
almonds, obtaining oil percentages of 15–16%, 27–33% y 49–64%,
respectively.

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✓Another extraction method is pressing, with both hydraulic and
screw presses.

✓As a general rule, the hydraulic press offers lower profitability due to
the high demand of labor force; although the obtained oils would
possibly find an increased acceptance by consumers because the oils
maintain their physio-chemical and sensorial properties.

✓Extraction using a screw press demands a previous thermal

conditioning of the material, resulting in a decrease in the quality of
the final product.

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✓Hexane is introduced with the ground almonds in a kettle.

✓A ball refrigerant is connected to the reaction kettle and the system is

placed in a shaking hot water bath until reaching the reflux
temperature of the solvent(69°C).

✓These conditions are maintained for 15 min.

✓Shaking and heating are then suspended, the mixture is left to cool
down and later is vacuum filtered and washed with hexane.

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✓The extract obtained is transferred to a balloon and distilled by
means of a Rota-evaporator.

✓If a higher oil yield is desired, the extraction process must be repeated
under the same conditions.

✓Almond oil thus obtained may be kept for 12 months at room

temperature .

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 Almond milk
✓Almond milk is a popular milk alternative.

✓If unsweetened, it provides significantly less calories per serving than

cow’s milk, as well as no saturated fat.

✓ If fortified, almond milk provides similar levels of calcium and vitamins

A and D as cow’s milk.

✓However, consumers should be aware that, unlike cow’s milk, almond

milk contains very little protein, making it inappropriate as a dairy
replacement for children.
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 Potential health benefits of almond milk
✓Almond milk may be a good option for adults who are allergic to
cow’s milk protein or for those who have lactose intolerance.

✓ Lactose is the sugar in cow’s milk. Lactose intolerance is caused by

an insufficiency of lactase, an enzyme that digests lactose.

✓Almond milk does not contain lactose and therefore will not cause
symptoms in people with lactose maldigestion.

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✓Almond milk may also be an appropriate substitute for cow’s milk for
vegans and vegetarian adults.

✓However, it should be noted that the nutrient profile of almond milk is

quite different from that of cow’s milk, providing significantly less protein
while still providing certain vitamins and calcium due to fortification.

✓ Finally, almond milk contains no saturated fat, which may be appealing

for individuals who are trying to restrict their saturated fat
consumption.

✓Unsweetened, unflavored almond milk is typically low calorie, which

may be appropriate for adults trying to lose weight.
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✓Kernel washing

✓Ground in a mill, incorporating at the same time a uniform water volume,

in an approximate ratio of 3:l water/kg almonds.

✓This facilitates the process, avoiding compression of the mass and its
retention in the mill.

✓Later the combination of milled almond and water is left to macerate for a
short time, depending on the duration of the previous soaking.

✓If soaking is longer than 8h, maceration may be avoided, proceeding

directly to the next operation : shaking.

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✓The shaker consists of a cylindrical container with central stirrers at
low agitation in order to suitably mix the mass coming from the mill.

✓At the same time a water spray sweeps away all the almond and fat
components.

✓The crushed mass obtained is introduced in to a continuous or individual

press and is forced through a sieve in order to separate the liquid from
the solid residue.

✓In the continuous press the mass is sieved by a mesh of stainless steel to
produce the liquid extract.
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✓After pressing, the first extract is obtained and it is sieved again.

✓For sweet milk production, the milk obtained as just described is

mixed with 100–150g of sugar/l, adding cinnamon and lemon peel
to taste.

✓After shaking, this solution is sieved through a very fine mesh to

eliminate any gross solid impurity.

✓After that, the soft milk is cooled to 0°C or even a little less.

✓The production of sweet milk must be done daily since it only

maintains all its properties for 36 h due to possible microbial
contamination. 68
 Almond butter
✓Almond butter has significantly more in fibre, calcium, and
potassium.

✓Grinding shelled, blanched or unblanched, raw or roasted almonds to

which may be added ingredients such as salt, honey, evaporated cane
syrup, corn maltodextrin, flaxseed, ,cocoa powder, cocoa butter,
vanilla, etc.

✓The almond butter may contain stabilizing ingredients such as, but not
limited to, palm or peanut oil.

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Shelled nuts / raw almonds

Grading

Roasting and Blanching

Grinding

Cooling

Packaging
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 Almond cake
✓Almond cake is the secondary product obtained from the extraction
of oil contained in the almond.

✓This cake has high nutritional value, due to its high protein content;
consequently, it can be used for human or animal feeding, especially
ruminants and fish.

✓ These cakes are also rich in fiber and energy and offer potential
benefits when they are used in the development of bioprocesses in the
production of chemical organic products and bio-molecules.

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✓ It can also be used in the production of enzymes, antibiotics, bio-
pesticides, vitamins and other biochemical products.

✓These cakes have also been used in the elaboration of soups,

pastries, sauces, etc.

✓An interesting alternative to these uses would be their utilization as a

nutritional supplement in the specific substrates used in mushroom
and edible fungi cultivation.

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