Storage stability of almond paste fortified with almond skin as antioxidants
Jyotika Dhankhar, Meenu Yadav, Preeti Kundu, Indumathi Kangampalayam Palaniswamy
Abstract
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.