Almond Paste Research Articles

Optimization of cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale) oil extraction yield by the enzymatic method

This study aimed to extract as much cashew oil as possible by enzymatic means, an environmentally friendly method. To achieve this, cashew almond paste was reacted with the enzyme alcalase 2.4 L, taking into account the matrix provided by a Box-Behnken design. The factors highlighted were those of enzyme concentration, incubation temperature, incubation time, pH ratio of the medium, and substrate/water. These factors were optimized to obtain the maximum cashew oil yield. The results showed that the alcalase 2.4 L enzyme optimized the cashew oil yield. The optimum yield (38.20 %) was achieved with an enzyme concentration of 2.5 %, a temperature of 60 °C, an incubation time of 8 h, a pH of 8 and a substrate/water ratio of 1:5. Thus, enzymatic extraction using alcalase 2.4 L can be considered an effective extraction method for obtaining oil from cashew nuts.

Development of ready-to-drink almond milk coffee as a novel alternative of vegan food

Coffee is a popular drink among the productive young generation. In consuming coffee, consumers often add cow’s milk to reduce the bitter and sour taste that is too strong in coffee. The high use of milk from animal sources causes an increase in the livestock sector accompanied by land and water use and global warming. This study aims to develop a plant-based ready-to-drink almond soy milk coffee drink with a quantitative approach in the form of Kano Model, Quality Function Deployment, and sensory test in the form of hedonic test and simple ranking test. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that milk coffee with the use of almonds is one of the most important attributes for consumers to produce creamy milk coffee, where formula 2 with a ratio of almond paste: isolated soy protein = 70:30 is the optimal formulation and meets the consumer acceptance.

Performance Enhancement of Biobattery from Tropical Almond Paste Using Acetic Acid Addition

<p class="AbstractText"><span lang="EN-AU">Biobattery is an alternative energy device that uses organic waste without hazardous chemicals. It is further reported that tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L.) is rich in glucose content, making it a potential electrolyte for a biobattery device, although the power performance is not optimal. Therefore, this research aims to improve the performance of biobattery from tropical almond paste with the addition of acetic acid. Biobattery cells were constructed using the galvanic cell method, while the tropical almond paste as an electrolyte was stored in a box container with a volume of 600 cm³, then attached with copper and zinc metal plate as cathode and anode. Five typical devices of biobattery were made with various acid concentrations of 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 80% which were added to the electrolyte. The results showed a significant enhancement of power performance, from 0.25 mW without any acid up to 1.62 mW with acid addition. The biobattery from tropical almond paste added with acetic acid of 20% had the best performance. Based on the results, the characterization of this device had an open cell voltage of 0.93, and the power curve showed a peak value of 1.62 mW at a current of 3.29 mA, with a stable current lasting up to 200 hr.</span></p>

Almond paste and dietary fibre: a novel way to improve postprandial glucose and lipid profiles?

Asia has become the epicentre of type 2 diabetes (T2D), predominately due to the consumption of carbohydrate-rich and high-glycemic-index (high-GI) diets. Previously, almond consumption has been reported to reduce the risk of T2D, obesity, and related diseases. The hypothesis of this randomised cross-over clinical trial was that almond paste consumption with bread would improve postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses. Fifteen healthy Chinese men consumed four bread-based meals containing different amounts of almond paste and inulin. Our results show that co-ingesting bread with 15 g of almond paste and 4 g of inulin significantly reduced the postprandial glucose and insulin levels. The corresponding GI value was 44 (low GI), which was lower than the GI value of white bread, which was 60 (medium GI). However, co-ingestion of almond paste with bread increased the postprandial triglyceride levels. Further studies will be required to demonstrate these effects on a long term basis. Clinical trial registration No: NCT05504044

Storage stability of almond paste fortified with almond skin as antioxidants

This study was designed to explore the potential of almond skin in improving the storage stability of almond paste. A concentration-dependent increase in phenolic content, and antioxidant potential, was observed for the skin-fortified samples. Skin fortification at 1.25%, 2.5%, 3.75%, and 5% level in pastes resulted in a corresponding increase in TPC by 114%, 311%, 445%, and 633% compared with control. Lipid oxidation was measured in terms of peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, and free fatty acids content over a 28 days of storage at accelerated storage temperature (60°C). TBA value for the control was higher (0.013–0.194 mg malonaldehyde/kg) compared with that of fortified samples with values ranging from 0.011 to 0.183 mg malonaldehyde/kg, indicating a role of skin fortification in the prevention of oxidation. Almond skin at 5% effectively inhibited lipid oxidation throughout the entire storage. Therefore, almond skin supplementation could be effective in preventing the oxidation of fat-rich food products. Practical applications Almond skin (AS) is a low-value by-product in the almond-processing industry, which possesses an appreciable amount of health-benefiting phenolic compounds. The use of almond skins in foods could improve the nutrient value and storage stability due to the enhanced antioxidant potential. Almond paste, upon supplementation with almond skins, displays a better nutrient profile and sensory characteristics similar to the standard product, which provides clean label antioxidant options.

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective

Physical and Sensory Evaluation of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) Beverage

Millet is one of the indigenous foods known to human and called for its superior nutritional and therapeutic use. Fermentation is one of the most commonly used methods in preparing millet based food products and it has been shown to improve the bioavailability of nutrients. The present study emphasizes on formulation of fermented product with foxtail millet flour as a ready-to-drink beverage. A Lactic Acid Bacterium (LAB) namely Lactobacillus acidophilus conquers a significant part in these developments, has an extended and safe history of practice and consumption in the fabrication of fermented beverages and foods. The methods used for processing foxtail millet are soaking (8 hrs), sun drying, milling, preparing foxtail millet slurry (60%), boiling (80oC), addition of complementary ingredients (almond paste 10%, coconut milk 10%, sugar 20% and cardamom powder 2 g), cooling, fermenting with probiotic strain (Lactobacillus acidophilus 0.2 mg/200ml), incubating (at 37oC for 24 hrs) and bottling. Optimization of probiotic foxtail millet drink was carried out by trained sensory panel members against control (without foxtail millet). Quality characteristics namely proximate, sensory and physicochemical properties like pH were investigated at 12 hours interval for 2 days. The fermented foxtail millet beverage possessed significantly higher values of proximate principles (81% moisture, 3.4 % ash, 12% carbohydrate, 2% protein, 1.6% fat) than control. Scores for all sensory parameters reduced with the increase in storage period. From the present study, it could be concluded that foxtail millet based fermented beverage not only serve as a nutrient dense drink but also it acts as a carrier to deliver beneficial micro biota which would nourish the gut. Recent research studies on fermentation and biotechnology reveal that, daily consumption of probiotics could positively protect human from non-communicable diseases such as ulcer, colitis and cance

Viscosity and Sensory Acceptability of Almond Milkshake as Influenced by Sugar, Almond Paste and Corn Flour-A Response Surface Study

The effect of variables such as sugar, almond paste, and cornflour on viscosity and a sensory score of almond milkshake samples were studied by response surface methodology. The central composite design was used to obtain optimum levels of variables. The values of viscosity and sensory scores obtained from different experiment runs were 170-1085cps and 6.2-7.7. The second-order polynomial model suggested by design expert software for viscosity and a sensory score of almond milkshake showed R2 (coefficient of determination) of 0.9871 and 0.9590, respectively. Whereas model F-values for viscosity and a sensory score of almond milkshake were 84.9 and 26.02, respectively. Optimum levels of sugar, almond paste, and cornflour suggested by models were 8%, 1% & 2%, respectively. Experimental values of responses obtained from the confirmatory test were almost similar to predicted values of responses suggested by models.

In vitro assessment of food-derived-glucose bioaccessibility and bioavailability in bicameral cell culture system

Abstract Background Functional foods can help prevent metabolic diseases, and it is essential to evaluate functional characteristics of foods through in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches. Objective We aimed to use the bicameral cell culture system combined with the in vitro digestion to evaluate glucose bioavailability. Materials and methods Cake, almond paste, and pudding were modified by adding fiber and replacing sugar with sweeteners and polyols. Digestion process was modeled in test tubes. Rat enterocyte cells (IEC-6) were grown in a bicameral cell culture system to mimic the physiological characteristics of the human intestine. The glucose bioaccessibility and cellular glucose efflux were measured by glucose oxidase assay. Results and discussion The glucose bioaccessibilities of modified foods were significantly lower (cake: 2.6 fold, almond paste: 9.2 fold, pudding 2.8 fold) than the controls. Cellular glucose effluxes also decreased in the modified cake, almond paste, and pudding by 2.2, 4, and 2 fold respectively compared to their controls. Conclusion Our results suggest that combining in vitro enzymatic digestion with cell culture studies can be a practical way to test in vitro glucose bioaccessibility and bioavailability in functional food development.

Characterization of Bio-battery from Tropical Almond Paste

Bio-battery is a device that generates electricity from organic compounds. However, organic compounds derived from crops should be avoided in order to prevent food shortages. The tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L.) widely known as “ketapang” in Indonesia is considered as potential bio-fuel cells for bio-batteries since it is rich in sugar, a non-crop and grows abundantly in Indonesia. In this study we developed a bio-battery prototype from tropical almond paste. The characterization of this device yields an average open cell voltage of 0.98 ± 0.09 V, and the power curve shows a peak value of 0.25 mW with a stable current lasting up to 2 days while observed when the device was connected to a load of 100Ω. This device may be suitable to apply in rural communities.

Quality characteristics of premium mutton nuggets enriched with almond-based functional components

Nuts, besides favourable fatty acid and nutrient profile, possess certain bioactive/functional compounds, which elicit several health benefits. Premium mutton nuggets with improved nutritional profile were developed by reducing the traditionally added animal fat in emulsion with the incorporation of almond paste. In order to substitute added fat by nut-based fat, standardised almond paste with 50% lipids in its proximate were explored at three levels (10%, 15% and 20%) to determine the optimum level of its incorporation. The extra lipid content of almond paste was adjusted by replacing lean on constant weight basis. The premium product was further analysed and compared with traditional product for detailed product profile, which included lipid profile, calorific value, dietary fibre, antioxidant activity and texture profile. Based on physico-chemical and sensory scores, the optimum level of incorporation for almond paste was adjudged as 15%. Developed premium mutton nuggets had significantly less (P < 0.05) cholesterol content, increased dietary fibre, enhanced antioxidant activity and acceptable texture profile. Thus, it was concluded that functional components of almond can be very well incorporated in the conventional process to develop a superior product.

Validation of multivariate screening methodology. Case study: Detection of food fraud

Multivariate screening methods are increasingly being implemented but there is no worldwide harmonized criterion for their validation. This study contributes to establish protocols for validating these methodologies. We propose the following strategy: (1) Establish the multivariate classification model and use receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to optimize the significance level (α) for setting the model’s boundaries. (2) Evaluate the performance parameter from the contingency table results and performance characteristic curves (PCC curves). The adulteration of hazelnut paste with almond paste and chickpea flour has been used as a case study. Samples were analyzed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and the multivariate classification technique used was soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA). The ROC study showed that the optimal α value for setting the SIMCA boundaries was 0.03 in both cases. The sensitivity value was 93%, specificity 100% for almond and 98% for chickpea, and efficiency 97% for almond and 93% for chickpea.

Formulation and Evaluation of Nanoparticles of Almonds in Hypercholesterolemia

Almonds were fabricated into nanoparticles by top down approach using cryogenic ball milling machine and also ground to form almond paste. The nanopaste was characterized using SEM, EDS, uv- Spectroscopy and FTIR Results revealed that the size of almond nanoparticles were in the range of 54-96nm and supplementation of 2g of almond nanopaste for a period of two months brought about reduction in lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Multivariate screening in food adulteration: Untargeted versus targeted modelling

Two multivariate screening strategies (untargeted and targeted modelling) have been developed to compare their ability to detect food fraud. As a case study, possible adulteration of hazelnut paste is considered. Two different adulterants were studied, almond paste and chickpea flour. The models were developed from near-infrared (NIR) data coupled with soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) as a classification technique. Regarding the untargeted strategy, only unadulterated samples were modelled, obtaining 96.3% of correct classification. The prediction of adulterated samples gave errors between 5.5% and 2%. Regarding targeted modelling, two classes were modelled: Class 1 (unadulterated samples) and Class 2 (almond adulterated samples). Samples adulterated with chickpea were predicted to prove its ability to deal with non-modelled adulterants. The results show that samples adulterated with almond were mainly classified in their own class (90.9%) and samples with chickpea were classified in Class 2 (67.3%) or not in any class (30.9%), but no one only as unadulterated.

Nootropic and hypophagic effects following long term intake of almonds (Prunus amygdalus) in rats.

Over a period of time researchers have become more interested in finding out the potential of various foods to maintain the general health and to treat diseases. Almonds are a very good source of many nutrients which may help to sharpen the memory and to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. The present study was conducted to evaluate the nootropic effects of almonds. Effect of oral intake of almond was also monitored on food intake and plasma cholesterol levels. Rats were given almond paste orally with the help of feeding tube for 28 days. Memory function in rats was assessed by Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Radial Arm Maze (RAM). Brain tryptophan, 5-HT and 5-HIAA were estimated at the end of the treatment by HPLC-EC method. A significant improvement in learning and memory of almond treated rats compared to controls was observed. Almond treated rats also exhibited a significant decrease in food intake and plasma cholesterol levels while the change in growth rate (in terms of percentage) remained comparable between the two groups. Analysis of brain tryptophan (TRP) monoamines exhibited enhanced TRP levels and serotonergic turnover in rat brain following oral intake of almonds. The findings show that almonds possess significant hypophagic and nootropic effects. Results are discussed in context of enhanced 5-HT metabolism following almond administration.

Marisa Mori's Edible Futurist Breasts

F.T. Marinetti's “Manifesto of Futurist Cuisine” (1930) and the subsequent Futurist Cookbook (1932) called for a culinary revolution and a new edible aesthetics. Futurism enacted its demands for destruction, violence, and transformation through the microcosm of the human intestine. While F.T. Marinetti's avant-garde chauvinism has left a notoriously bad taste in postmodern mouths, Futurism's extensive experiments with taste and touch represent a curious reversal of Western traditions that regarded the “lower” senses as feminine. Unfortunately, Futurism's theoretical liberation of the so-called “feminine” senses is eclipsed by the cookbook's daunting inventory of recipes that metaphorically devour the female body. Only one woman left her essence among the pages of the Futurist Cookbook. Marisa Mori's recipe for Italian Breasts in the Sun calls for two mounds of almond paste topped with two candied strawberries on a bed of custard and cream, sprinkled with hot pepper. Her punning metaphorics have a masculinst flavor as the female body is presented in fragmented and sexualized terms; however, this article argues that there is a more satirical taste to Mori's edible breasts.

Controlled temperature grinding under modified atmosphere for Almond (Prunus Dulcis) paste production

The quality of the raw material and the processing conditions have a great influence on the nutritional properties of finished products. This research is focused on almond paste production and aims at developing a new production process to deliver the high nutritional content of the raw almonds into the finished product. Raw almonds are composed mainly of fats (approx. 50%) and proteins (approx. 25%), and are particularly rich in omega 6 fatty acids, and are hence exposed to denaturation and oxidation phenomena during the traditional grinding/homogenization process. The study involved the analysis of six different local cultivars based upon the main nutritional indicators (protein content, vitamins, and fatty acids) which resulted in the determination of the cultivar tuono as the one with the best nutritional properties. The further step consisted in establishing an innovative production process involving controlled atmosphere and refrigerated grinding with the aim of preserving the nutritional value of the raw material. Finally an experimental comparison of the product obtained with the proposed production process and the traditional method showed an average incremental gain of 27% and 21% in the protein and fat content, respectively. Keywords: Almonds; Food Processing Aspects; Lipid Oxidation International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology, Vol. 2, No. 9, 2010, pp. 69-82

OPTIMIZATION OF MANUFACTURE OF ALMOND PASTE COOKIES USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

ABSTRACT The response surface methodology (RSM) was used in the optimization of a modified recipe of almond paste cookies to pinpoint the best combination of the most important factors, in order to obtain an enhanced product with quality characteristics similar to the typical one. In this modified recipe, bamboo fiber and fructose were added as humectant and anticrystallizing agents to extend the shelf life of the cookies. Five quantitative controllable factors were selected for the experimental design: weight of bamboo fiber, fructose/saccharose ratio (F/S) and weight of egg white as ingredients, and baking time and temperature as process parameters. To assess the product quality, texture, moisture content and color were considered as dependent variables. The three second‐order polynomial models obtained by RSM and the subsequent optimization step indicated that a formulation with 28.95 g of fiber, 252.5 g of egg white, an F/S equal to 0.1, baking time and temperature of 21.5 min and 185.5C, respectively, represents the best recipe to manufacture a new product with quality attributes very similar to the typical one and, in addition, with an extended shelf life. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe importance of this work arises from the possibility to obtain new formulations by the enhancement of original recipes of products with a very limited shelf life using a statistical and designed approach. The achieved results led to a higher quality of these products over time, without changing the most important characteristics related to consumer acceptance.

Effects of light, temperature and water activity on the kinetics of lipoxidation in almond-based products

Lipoxidation in almond-derived products was investigated using the chemiluminescence (CL) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) methods to detect the first and later reaction products, respectively. The effects of light during storage at 5 °C, 22 °C and 40 °C were studied, as well as the effects of combined heat/water activity treatments in the 60–120 °C and 0.38–0.72 range. During storage, light was found to enhance the CL and TBARS values, and specific responses were observed in almond paste and the final Calisson product. During the heating of almond paste, as the initial water activity (aw) increased, the CL rate constants increased during heating to 60 °C and 80 °C, but interestingly, these values decreased during further heating to 120 °C, whereas the maximum TBARS rate constants occurred at aw 0.57 at all the heating temperatures tested. The activation energies, based on the CL and TBARS values, decreased specifically when the aw increased from 0.38 to 0.72, giving overall values ranging from110 kJ mol−1 to 60 kJ mol−1. Likewise, in the same water activity range, the temperature-dependent rate constant enhancing factor (Q10) decreased from 3.3 to 1.6.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE OF TURKISH ALMOND PASTE

ABSTRACT Almond paste is an economically valuable product produced from almonds, sugar and a small amount of water. Oxidative rancidity and oil separation are the major problems that are encountered in the paste products affecting the shelf life. Another problem appears to be drying on the surface of the product resulting in poor consumer acceptability. In this study, the formulation of product was altered by adding a commercial stabilizer, antioxidant mixture and maltose syrup to prevent undesirable quality changes during storage at 4C and 30C. Peroxide value, free fatty acid and Rancimat analysis showed that the addition of antioxidant mixture prevented oxidation effectively and improved sensory scores significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Although stabilizer addition had a detrimental effect on the textural properties, samples that have maltose had high sensory scores. The results showed that incorporation of maltose syrup and antioxidant may improve the texture and shelf life of almond paste.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe available literature on almond paste is mainly focused on the microbiological quality of the product and the prevention of spoilage reactions by modifying packaging materials. However, there is no report on the optimization of the composition to extend the shelf life of almond paste. Turkish almond paste, a healthy and expensive dessert, is a specialty product that is manufactured by using traditional grinding equipment. However, the limited shelf life of this product decreases its export potential resulting in economical losses. Therefore, improved shelf life and quality of the product is of importance from the economical point of view. In our study, we aimed to improve the quality and shelf life of Turkish almond paste by modifying its formulation in order to minimize the undesirable changes that occur during storage.