Oxidative rancidity in nuts

Abstract: Nuts have been considered a valuable food commodity since prehistoric times. However, their high content of unsaturated fatty acids makes them susceptible to oxidative rancidity leading to quality deterioration, if stored suboptimally or for too long, especially when shelled. This is a classic problem of great economic concern to the food industry, both from the off-flavour development and the formation of toxic lipid oxidation end-products that may have detrimental health effects. This chapter presents the main aspects of oxidative development in nuts and nut oils. The reaction mechanism and the principal factors affecting the rate of lipid oxidation along with the analytical methods normally employed to determine the extent of lipid oxidation, are also described. Finally, the effects of oxidation on nuts are discussed and some recommendations are made on how to prevent or retard lipid oxidation.