QUALITY OF ROASTED BARU ALMONDS STORED IN DIFFERENT PACKAGES

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of type of packaging and storage time on the quality of roasted baru almonds by checking lipid and bioactive stability. Almonds submitted to roasting were packaged in three different packages: polypropylene (PP); polypropylene + bioriented polypropylene (PP + BOPP) and polypropylene + polyethylene terephthalate + metallized and polyethylene (PP + PETMET + PE) films. The moisture content was adequate for safe storage. Almonds packed in PP + PETMET + PE film showed lower titratable acidity and oil acidity index values. During storage, acidity increased from 90 days and the acidity index from 120 days. The iodine index was higher in PP + PEMET + PET film, with predominance of unsaturated fatty acids. The content of total phenols did not differ in almonds, regardless of packaging used. The content of tannins showed reduction after 120 days of storage in all packages, while the content of phytic acids howed reduction after 90 days. The antioxidant capacity did not differ among samples. Almonds had shelf life of 120 days when packed in PP + PEMET + PET packaging and 90 days in the other types of packaging.