Improvement in nutritional quality and thermal stability of palm olein blended with macadamia oil for deep-fat frying application.

Macadamia nut shell (MNS) is a type of waste lignocellulose obtained from macadamia nut production processing. Large MNS wastes caused serious resource waste and environmental pollution. So, preparation of hydrochars from MNS via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is of great significance. HTC of MNS was conducted to study the effect of process parameters, including HTC temperature […]

In Vitro Digested Nut Oils Attenuate the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Response in Macrophages.

Nut consumption is known for its health benefits, in particular in inflammatory diseases. A possible mechanism for these effects could be their beneficial fatty acid composition. Nuts mainly contain mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties. However, studies investigating the effects of nut extracts on inflammatory processes on the molecular level are rare. […]

Chemical characterization of a variety of cold-pressed gourmet oils available on the Brazilian market.

Different specialty extra virgin oils, produced by cold-pressing fruits/nuts (olive, pequi, palm, avocado, coconut, macadamia and Brazil nut) and seeds (grapeseed and canola), and retailed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais, were chemically characterized. Specifically, for each type of oil, the fatty acid composition was elucidated by GC-FID, the contents of selected polyphenols and squalene were […]

Inactivation of Salmonella and Surrogate Bacteria on Cashews and Macadamia Nuts Exposed to Commercial Propylene Oxide Processing Conditions.

Propylene oxide (PPO), a chemical fumigant, has been validated to reduce Salmonella on bulk almonds but has not been evaluated for other tree nuts. There is a need to identify nonpathogenic surrogate microorganisms whose inactivation is comparable to that of Salmonella to assure effective PPO processing parameters in different packaging configurations without introducing Salmonella into the pasteurization […]

Detection of Food Allergens by Taqman Real-Time PCR Methodology.

Real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) has shown to be a very effective technology for the detection of food allergens. The protocol described herein consists on a real-time PCR assay targeting the plant ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region, using species-specific primers and hydrolysis probes (Taqman) dual labeled with a reporter fluorophore at the 5' end (6-carboxyfluorescein, […]

Impact of processing conditions on the phytoprostanes profile of three types of nut kernels.

The goal of this work was the identification and quantification of phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) in three types of nuts: "Walnut", "Macadamia", and "Pecan". This study represents a first approach to the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative PhytoP profiles in the "Macadamia" and "Pecan" nuts subjected to fried salt or fried honey processing. The kernels were […]

Association of tree nut and coconut sensitization.

BACKGROUND: Coconut (Cocos nucifera), despite being a drupe, was added to the US Food and Drug Administration list of tree nuts in 2006, causing potential confusion regarding the prevalence of coconut allergy among tree nut allergic patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sensitization to tree nuts is associated with increased odds of coconut sensitization. METHODS: A […]

Bioavailability assessment of essential and toxic metals in edible nuts and seeds.

Bioavailability of essential and toxic metals in edible nuts and seeds has been assessed by using an in vitro dialyzability approach. The samples studied included walnuts, Brazil nuts, Macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios and seeds (almond, pine, pumpkin and sunflower). Metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in dialyzates and also […]