Determination of Malonaldehyde as an Index of Rancidity in Nut Meats

Abstract

Abstract Distillation of ground walnut meats from a slightly acidified concentrated NaCl solution gives a high per cent recovery of malonaldehyde which is associated with rancidity in nut meat products. Heating an aliquot of the distillate in an acetic acid solution of 2-thiobarbituric acid yields an intense red color with a maximum absorbance at about 532 nm. As little as 0.1 μg malonaldehyde/ml can be measured. Nuts judged to be slightly rancid by a taste panel showed the presence of approximately 40 μg malonaldehyde/g nul meat. Recoveries of malonaldehyde added to samples ranged from 92 to 97%. No malonaldehyde was detected in fresh nut meats.