BACKGROUND Almond processing has been shown to differentially impact metabolizable energy; however, the effect of food form on the gastrointestinal microbiota is under-investigated. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the interrelationship of almond consumption and processing on the gastrointestinal microbiota. DESIGN A controlled-feeding, randomized, five-period, crossover study with washouts bet...

Aflatoxin contamination of nuts is an increasing concern to the consumer's health. Portugal is a big producer of almonds, but there is no scientific knowledge on the safety of those nuts, in terms of mycotoxins. The aim of this paper was to study the incidence of aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin contamination of 21 samples of Portuguese almonds, and its evolution throughout the various stages ...

BACKGROUND Although recent studies have indicated that nut consumption may improve levels of blood lipids, nuts are not generally recommended as snacks for hyperlipidemic subjects because of their high fat content. Furthermore, the effective dose is still unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS The dose-response effects of whole almonds, taken as snacks, were compared with low-saturated fat (<5% energy)...

Double-shelled Au/Ag hollow nanoboxes with precisely controlled interior nanogaps (1 to 16 nm) were synthesized for gap-tunable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The double-shelled nanoboxes were prepared via a two-step galvanic replacement reaction approach using Ag nanocubes as the templates, while 4-aminothiolphenol (4-ATP) as SERS probe molecules were loaded between the two shells. ...

Nuts have high energy and fat contents, but nut intake does not promote weight gain or obesity, which may be partially explained by their proposed high satiety value. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effects of consuming almonds versus a baked food on postprandial appetite and neural responses to visual food stimuli. Twenty-two adults (19 women and 3 men) with a BMI between 25 an...

BACKGROUND The almond tree (Prunus amygdalus Batsch) is an important nut tree grown in subtropical regions that produces nutrient-rich nuts. However, a paucity of genomic information and DNA markers has restricted the development of modern breeding technologies for almond trees. RESULTS In this study, almonds were sequenced with Illumina paired-end sequencing technology to obtain transcriptom...

BACKGROUND Nut consumption may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The aim of the current study was to measure the acute and second-meal effects of morning almond consumption and determine the contribution of different nut fractions. METHODS Fourteen impaired glucose tolerant (IGT) adults participated in a randomized, 5-arm, crossover design study where whole almonds (WA), almond b...

Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen that is found in many roasted and baked foods. This paper describes two sensitive and reliable LC-(ESI)MS/MS methods for the analysis of (1) acrylamide and (2) common acrylamide precursors (i.e., glucose, fructose, asparagine, and glutamine) in raw and roasted almonds. These methods were used to evaluate the impact of roasting temperatures (between 129 ...

BACKGROUND Evidence consistently shows that almond consumption beneficially affects lipids and lipoproteins. Almonds, however, have not been evaluated in a controlled-feeding setting using a diet design with only a single, calorie-matched food substitution to assess their specific effects on cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS AND RESULTS In a randomized, 2-period (6 week/period), crossover...

toxicities in specific orchards may be different. In addition to testing the pesticides listed in Leaflet 21343, we tested several that were not listed, including some that are not currently registered for use in almonds or are not registered in California at this time. We included those to determine which are most promising for future incorporation into an integrated mite management program fo...