What is almond flour, characteristics, manufacturing method. Calorie content and chemical composition, benefits and harms to the body. What can be prepared from the grinding of nuts, product varieties and non-food uses.
Almond flour or powder is a food product made by grinding the fruits of a plant or their kernels. Texture - free-flowing, fraction - 0.05-0.3 mm; smell and taste - sweetish-bitter, characteristic of nuts; color - white, yellowish or grayish. Retains all the properties of the raw material.
How is almond flour made?
The production of the product is automated. The feedstock is cleaned and sorted, and then heat treatment is carried out using a directed steam jet. During this process, disinfection and sometimes degreasing is carried out. Next, the steamed nuts are cleaned in a device resembling a centrifuge. If the shell has not been completely removed, the kernels are returned to the apparatus.
Drying is also two-stage. If you save on dehydration, the intermediate raw materials will begin to clump during grinding. First, the kernels are crushed, then crushed. The maximum particle size is 40 microns. The powder is again dried and sieved. The conveyor is delivered to the filling lines. Fine grinding is used for making desserts and baked goods.
How to make almond flour for salads and diet meals
- Raw materials are sorted and steamed.
- Without separating into fractions, they are dried in drying chambers equipped with a device for air circulation.
- Grind together with the peel.
The color of such an initial product is grayish. Grinding will not make airy dough.
Regardless of whether the kernels are ground with or without peels, partial defatting is possible. In this case, pressed nuts are added to the feedstock, which remain after the oil has been pressed.
There are several ways to make almond flour at home:
- Quick … Peel the nuts and lay them in one layer on a baking sheet. Dry at 40 ° C with an open oven and grind using any grinder: blender, food processor or coffee grinder.
- For finer grinding … The nuts are peeled, soaked to remove alkaloids and facilitate the removal of the thin greenish shell, first in boiling water and then in cold water for 20-30 minutes. If possible, use a convection oven for drying. In this case, the door need not be slightly opened. Grind several times, in pulsation mode, sifting several times through sieves with cells of different sizes.
- For making sweet pastries … Whole nuts are soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes, and then washed with cold running water. The fruits are again poured for 5-10 minutes, laid out on a towel and allowed to absorb moisture. Dry even before cleansing, at 85-100 ° C, stirring constantly so that they do not burn. The peel is peeled. The kernels are dried as in the first recipe, and then ground. 1/3 of the product is mixed with sugar and crushed more thoroughly into fine powder.
If you plan to introduce nut grinding in the diet menu, then soaked and dried nuts are ground together with the shell. Such a product differs from delicate powder in color and taste - the characteristic bitterness is clearly felt, for which the fruits are appreciated.
Composition and calorie content of almond flour
In the photo, almond flour
The nutritional value of the product depends on the cooking technology. The content of nutrients and amino acids is not affected by defatting.
Calorie content of almond flour - 614-631 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Protein - 25 g;
- Fat - 52.5 g;
- Carbohydrates - 6.6 g;
- Dietary fiber - 7 g.
Permissible grinding moisture - up to 4%.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Vitamin A - 3 mcg;
- Beta Carotene - 0.02 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.25 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.65 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 52.1 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.4 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.3 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 40 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 1.5 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 24.6 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 6.2 mg;
- Niacin - 4 mg
Macronutrients per 100 g
- Potassium, K - 748 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 273 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 234 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 10 mg;
- Sulfur, S - 178 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 473 mg;
- Chlorine, Cl - 39 mg.
Microelements per 100 g
- Iron, Fe - 4.2 mg;
- Iodine, I - 2 μg;
- Manganese, Mn - 1.92 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 140 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 2.5 μg;
- Fluorine, F - 91 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 2.12 mg.
Almond flour contains 12 essential amino acids and 8 non-essential amino acids.
Fats per 100 g
- Saturated - 5 g;
- Monounsaturated - 36.7 g;
- Polyunsaturated - 12.5 g.
Most of these fatty acids in almond flour
- Oleic acid, omega-9 - reduces the possibility of developing diabetes and vascular permeability, but excess leads to obesity and pancreatic dysfunction;
- Omega-6 - increases blood clotting;
- Linoleic acid - regulates the functioning of the reproductive and endocrine systems, accelerates weight loss, but in excess can cause nausea and dizziness.
In addition, the composition contains phytosterols, which are similar in structure to human hormones, and the alkaloid amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside.
If you made almond flour at home from whole nuts, you can be sure that there are no GMO stabilizers, dyes and flavor enhancers in the composition. Preservatives are introduced into industrial products that reduce hygroscopicity. They improve the properties, but can provoke an allergic reaction.
The benefits of almond flour
The healing properties of this type of nuts have been known for a long time. The healers of Ancient Greece used them to restore vigor and eliminate "pale sickness" - the so-called anemia. The chemical composition of the product does not change when the fruits are crushed.
The benefits of almond flour
- Helps to quickly recover from increased stress, both physical and emotional.
- It has anesthetic, antispasmodic and anticonvulsant effects.
- Stimulates the work of the cardiovascular system.
- Increases the production of red blood cells.
- Dissolves cholesterol plaques in the lumen of blood vessels.
- Normalizes the work of the nervous system, accelerates impulse conduction, improves vision function.
- Strengthens bone and cartilage tissue.
- Stops diarrhea, has a choleretic effect.
The product has a low allergenic activity, stabilizes blood pressure, does not contain gluten, therefore it is allowed for patients with a history of celiac disease (gluten intolerance).
If almond flour is made from unpeeled nuts, it has a higher fiber content. Additional action - cleansing and antitoxic. Fiber accelerates peristalsis, reduces the risk of stagnation, prevents the occurrence of putrefactive and fermentative processes.
Despite the high calorie content, such a product can be used to prepare dietary meals. Due to the property of stabilizing metabolic processes, the fat layer does not form, and you can not be afraid that an ugly "orange peel" - cellulite, can form.
