Influence of pre-processing storage conditions on peeled almond quality

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the effect of storage conditions (in-shell, shelled, storage time and temperature) before peeling and packaging on the quality of peeled Supernova almonds. The influence of the storage temperature after packaging was also determined. From the results of the chemical analyses carried out on the lipid fraction (peroxide value, FAMEs, spectrophotometric characteristics, tocopherols), and of the physical characteristics (texture, colour) and sensory measurements, it was determined that high quality peeled almonds can be obtained either with nuts processed immediately after harvesting, or with inshell almonds stored for four months at ambient temperature (18°-25°C) or with shelled almonds stored in cold conditions (2°C) for up to eight months before processing. Moreover, in order to have high quality almonds up to 12 months, it is best to store peeled nuts at 2°C.