Influence of storage conditions on the quality of shelled and roasted almonds

The storage of four varieties of almond, three Spanish and one native to and imported from California (USA), was investigated at two temperatures (8 and 36degreesC), two packaging atmospheres (air and N-2) and two treatments (raw and roasted) throughout several months, in order to study the storage behaviour. Five chemical parameters were determined during the whole time of the experiment: moisture, fat content, peroxide value, a-tocopherol content and level of aflatoxins. No significant differences were observed between air and nitrogen packaging for the parameters measured. At the end of the study (9 months), almonds stored in their shells at ambient temperature, maintained their high quality. A significant relationship was found between the increase of the peroxide value and the decrease of alpha-tocopherol content. The aflatoxin contents were always lower than 0.5 mug kg(-1). (C) 2003 Silsoe Research Institute. All rights reserved.