From the Orchard
You may already be aware that almonds are just one of four valuable products grown in the orchard: the whole almond kernels we eat grow in a fuzzy outer hull, protected by a shell, on a tree. California almond farmers’ zero waste approach to their agricultural coproducts already includes utilizing almond hulls in animal feed and as a growing medium for mushroom cultivation to replace traditional peat moss. Now, a new research partnership between ABC and Mattson, a food and beverage innovation firm, explores expanded almond hulls applications in food and beverage for nutritional and almond farming sustainability benefits.
Mattson’s proof-of-concept research has found that almond hulls may have promising uses for human consumption, and with further adoption and demand from suppliers and manufacturers, almond hull flour could be a value-added ingredient bringing new nutritional, cost, and sustainability benefits in a variety of categories, such as:
- Nutritional value in performance nutrition bars and bread: Mattson found that almond hull flour performs well in performance nutrition bars, adding more fiber and antioxidants compared to traditional bars on the market. In bread, Mattson achieved a “good source of fiber” claim without additional fiber-boosting ingredients by substituting a percentage (5.2%) of almond hull flour for all-purpose flour.
- Reduce costs and improve sustainability of coffee production: Mattson’s research indicates that almond hull flour may be used as a bulking agent in traditional ground coffee, replacing up to 10-20% of beans. With further exploration, manufacturers could consider incorporating ground and roasted almond hulls to reduce sourcing costs and play a key role in agricultural upcycling.
