FOOD SCIENCE AND PROCESSING 3 (2+1)

Lesson 12 : Composition, Nutritive Value and Processing of Nuts and Oil Seeds

Introduction

Nuts are seeds or fruits consisting of an edible, usually fat-containing, kernel and surrounded by a hard or brottle shell. From the food point of view, nuts may be divided into three main groups viz.

Those with a high fat or oil content Those with a high protein content and Those rich in carbohydrate, the starches.

Most of the common everyday dessert nuts are rich in oil. The cashewnut, walnut, pecan, etc., are examples of this class of nuts. Groundnut is an example of a nuts with high protein content. Protein rich nuts also contain a high percentage of fat. Only a few nuts are rich in carbohydrates. Chestnut for example contains 50 % carbohydrates and is relatively poor in fats and proteins.