Food technologists will love this! Read food scientist Rachel Zemser's perspective on food tech trends. Walnuts provide a valuable and versatile addition to almost any formula.
Approximately 75% of the world’s trade of walnuts comes from California, but that far distance does not stop people from all over the globe from importing walnuts into their own country so they can take advantage of California walnuts’ delicious flavor and healthful properties.
It’s official! Spain has been deemed the “New France” for foodies, and Spanish gastronomy has become one of the hottest international cuisines in the U.S. It started with the tapas craze in the 1990s, but since then Spanish maindishes and ingredients have caught on quickly, filtering down from fine-dining to fast-casual venues.
With all the buzz surrounding gluten-free eating these days, I have been working with the California Walnut Board to come up with new ways to use walnuts—naturally gluten-free from the beginning—in products that suit the gluten-free lifestyle. That's why I was so surprised to hear a well-known industry watcher comment that gluten-free is “sooo last summer.”
When you think about walnuts, you probably imagine a complex taste that’s earthy, fruity, and tart — maybe with hints of astringency. That’s why developers of walnut products must go beyond the surface to understand this nut’s multidimensional flavor. Once they explore the components (polyunsaturated fat and mild tannins) found in the walnut’s skin, they can easily match ingredients that complement the unique sensory attributes of walnuts.
Copyright 2012 California Walnut Commission
Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, March 2004.
One ounce of walnuts provides 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5g of alpha–linolenic acid — the plant-based omega–3.
