Almond
Shelf Life
Almond Property
Quality Change Over Storage
Shelf-life Determination
Recommendations
Guangwei Huang
Associate Director
Food Research and Technology
Almond Board of California
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Unique Physical and Chemical Properties Lead to Great
Shelf-life Potential
• Low water content: < 6% (no bacteria and mold growth)
• Right fatty acid profile: high in mono-unsaturated and low in poly-unsaturated (S:M:P = 8:66:26)
• High natural antioxidant content: vitamin E in flesh and flavonoids in skins
• Tight cellular structure: less porous
Adapted from Perren presentation to ABC 2007
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Almond Properties, Storage Temperature and Humidity,
and Packaging Affect Shelf-life Potential
Product Characteristics Environment Package
• Composition: unsaturated • Temperature • Physical protection (film
fat and vitamin E levels, • Humidity thickness)
moisture/ water activity, • Moisture barrier (water vapor
initial quality • Oxygen
transmission rate)
• Forms: natural/blanched, • Processing
conditions • Oxygen barrier (gas transmission
whole/cut, raw/roasted rate)
• Roasted: dry/oil, roast level • Insects, pests,
microorganisms • Nitrogen-flush or vacuum
packing
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Quality Changes Over Storage
Almond Properties Changes with Environmental Conditions
Temperature, humidity, packaging, processing conditions affect quality
(oil migration, water migration, flavor fading, etc.)
Environment: Temperature Humidity
H2O H2O
Odor Oil
Mold Brittle
Rancidity
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Relative Humidity (Water Activity) Affect Product Moisture
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10
7
Moisture (%)
5 Moisture 3 - 6% or RH 20 – 65%:
Optimal conditions for minimum reactions
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Different Varieties and Sizes of
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Almonds Absorb Water from
Environment Similarly
2
0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
Water Activity (Relative Humidity 100%)
Temperature and Humidity Affect Moisture and Texture
(Online Tool)
RH 65% & 35℃ RH 75% & 35℃
RH 65% & 25℃
RH 65% & 15℃ RH 75% & 35℃
RH 50% & 25℃
Almond (almonds.com)
Elevated Moisture Leads to Release of Fatty Acids
(Impact of Temperature and Humidity on FFA)
R-gas constant
C-FFA concentration
T-absolute temperature
Lin et al., J. Food Science, 2012, 77(6), 583-593
Shelf Life Determination
Humidity and Temperature Affect Shelf-life Parameters
Texture
Humidity
FFA
Consumer
Shelf Life
Hedonic
Off-flavor
Temp PV
volatiles
CD
VitE
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Moisture and Texture are two Common Physical Parameters for
Shelf-life Evaluation
• The rate of chemical reactions in foods depends on temperature and moisture
Moisture Content
Weight of water in food The fracturability
compared to total weight of whole almonds
Range: 0 to 100 gH2O/100g can be evaluated
using the texture
analyzer with a
compression disk.
Water Activity
Related to number of water
molecules
Measured by vapor pressure
Range: 0 to 1
Analytical Parameters for Oil Oxidation Measurements
• Hydrolytic Rancidity
– Free Fatty Acids
• Oxidative Rancidity
– Peroxide Value
– Conjugated Dienes
• Vitamin E
– Tocopherols
• Head Space Volatiles
• Sensory Measures
– Consumer Hedonic Analysis
TWO YEAR SHELF LIFE STUDY OF RAW AND
ROASTED NONPAREIL ALMONDS
Temp: 4, 15, 25, 35℃ Temp: Temp: 4, 15, 25, 35℃
RH: 50 & 65%
Cheely et al. (2018), LWT-Food Sci. Tech. 91: 498-504; Pleasance et al. (2018), J. Food Sci 83: 822-830; Parrish et al. (2019), Int. J. Food Sci. & Technol. 54(6): 2190-2198.
Flavor Volatiles in Raw Almonds Fade Away Over Time
Baseline 6 months @ 35℃/65%
Propylene glycol
1-hexanol
• At rejection, 1-hexanol > 70% total peak area
• Loss of characteristic raw v olatiles during storage
1-decene
Toluene
trans,trans-2,4-decadienal
2-pentyl furan
hexanal
1-heptanol
1-choloro-2-propanol
Nonanal
Nonanoic acid
hexanal
1-hexanol
Propylene glycol
Acetic Acid
1-octanol
Retention Time (min) Retention Time (min)
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TWO YEAR SHELF LIFE STUDY OF RAW INSHELL AND
SHELLED NONPAREIL AND BUTTE ALMONDS
Control (10℃/65%), 15℃/55%, 15℃/70%, 25℃/55%, 25℃/70%,
Reference (4℃/No RH Control), CA ambient, GA ambient
Pegg, R. et al. unpublished 2021 15
Lowering Storage Temperature and Relative Humidity,
Packages or Inshell Extend Shelf Life
Months until sensory failure =
49 − .59(°C) − .42(RH%)
Inshell – Shelled >> 4-8 months
Nonpareil > Butte (Shelled)
Nonpareil ≈ Butte (Inshell)
Sensory failure = Rejection by 25% or more panelists
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Parrish D. et al. Intl. J. Food Sci. & Technology , 2019; Pegg, R. et al. unpublished 2021
Storage Recommendations for Raw Almonds
• Store under cool and dry conditions (<15°C/59°F and <60% relative humidity)
• Maintain almond moisture at 3 to 5.5% for optimal stability
• Use packages with good barrier properties against water and air
transmission, and prevent infestation, to maximize shelf life when affordable
and feasible
• Avoid exposure to light and adjacent materials with extraneous odors
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