Research PaperSuitability of Spanish almond cultivars for the industrial production of almond oil and defatted flour

- Chemical traits of almond oil and flour are affected by the cultivar.
- In oils differences were found for tri-unsaturated triglycerides OOO and OLL.
- Guara, Ferragnes and Belona are selected as optimal cultivars for oil production.
- Flours show differences in the total mineral content and specific mineral content.

The combined evaluation of almond oils and flours obtained by cold pressing provides a comprehensive approach about the nutritional and industrial interest of Spanish almond cultivars for these production purposes. Almonds of ten different cultivars were collected from the same plot to remove the environmental and agricultural management effects on almond chemical traits. Results show that oil yield was similar for all the selected cultivars, however, obtained oils showed significant differences in their fatty acid profile, including essential fatty acids of main nutritional interest. According to the triglyceride profile, significant differences were found for main tri-unsaturated triglycerides (mainly, OOO and OLL) but not for OLO. The concentration of minor components with health promoting properties also was different in the oil obtained from different cultivars. For the selection of the optimal cultivar for oil production, three parameters are proposed as main parameters to consider: iodine value, oxidative stability and oil yield. According to these parameters, the varieties Guara, Ferragnes and Belona would be the most appropriate cultivars for almond oil production. Regarding almond flours obtained, large differences were found in the content of available carbohydrates (276.4-156.1 g/kg) and proteins (581.3-379.4 g/kg) resulting in flours with different potential uses. The total mineral content in flours and the presence of specific minerals (as Fe and Zn) also showed significant differences among cultivars.