Increasing Walnut Quality That May Be in A Snack Package

Increasing Walnut Quality That May Be in A Snack Package

Patrick Cavanaugh
Patrick Cavanaugh
Walnuts need to be stored in cooler temperatures than almonds and pistachios because of quality issues. But the California Walnut Board is working on that.

Carl Eidsath is the Technical Support Director for the California Walnut Board based in Folsom. Eidsath had said that the Walnut board is trying to market walnuts as a snack.

“We like to offer either just plain or with some seasoning on there. And we've always had this problem with rancidity, which happens when a package is sitting on a shelf for four, five, six months,” he said.

And Eidsath said it was very difficult to get walnuts slotted in as an ingredient and those snack packs.

“And so a lot of our research now has been extending the shelf life of walnuts, not just in the package but how they're grown now,” he said. “We're looking at irrigation practices that help keep the light color as long as it can. And we are looking at storage conditions. We did a lot of work on what temperature and relative humidity is best to keep the in-shells at,” explained Eidsath.

“Most of the walnut handlers store their product in in-shell form. That's been proven to be the best way to keep freshness in a walnut because they're surrounded by the shell. And so that insulates and protects the kernels from air to a lot of degree,” Eidsath said.

Previous ReportCalifornia Walnuts Are Poised for a New Season
Next ReportHow does Recycling Hulls and Shell Help and Almond Orchard?