Organic almonds

Almonds are the fruit of the almond tree, which originally comes from western Central Asia. It has been cultivated for 4,000 years and now grows all over the world. Sweet almonds were an important staple food in their regions of origin hundreds of years ago. The natural healer Hildegard of Bingen even regarded almonds as a remedy and recommended eating five to ten a day. These stone fruits are indeed packed with valuable nutrients. Their health benefits have been clearly demonstrated by studies. At BERTRAND, we also make use of the many vital nutrients in almonds in our meal drinks.

How are the almonds processed?

There is a huge range of almond products available. They are sold blanched and unblanched, roasted and unroasted, ground, chopped, slivered, salted, coated and sugared. This reflects the popularity of almonds and their many possible uses. For BERTRAND meal drinks, we need two forms: ground almonds and almond crunch. To produce these, the sweet almonds pass through many stages.

1. CULTIVATION

   On small organic farms, our almonds are grown in Italy and Spain according to organic farming standards. It takes several years for an almond tree to bear fruit. Successful pollination requires a prolonged dry period during the flowering season in spring, while the plant still needs to be well irrigated. The blossom then develops into a green, velvety stone fruit containing the almond kernel.

   THE GROUND HAS TO BE RIGHT

2. HARVEST

   Depending on the almond variety, harvesting takes place between the end of August and the end of October. The fruit hulls split open as a sign of ripeness. Then shaking machines are used to shake the fruit from the trees. To prevent damage to the almonds, herbs and grasses are planted between the rows of trees and mowed before harvesting. They form a soft bed onto which the almonds fall during harvesting. The almonds initially remain there until they reach a certain degree of dryness. Special machines then “sweep” the fruit off the ground and onto a transport cart.

   THE TREES ARE SHAKEN

3. STORAGE

   The almonds, cleaned of hay, leaves, dirt, and foreign matter, are initially stored dry. The almond kernel remains in its shell, protecting it from negative influences. The small-scale farms in Italy and Spain place the greatest importance on preserving the quality of their produce during storage.

   THE SHELL STAYS ON

4. PREPARATION

   Only when we place an order with our suppliers are the hard shells removed from the almonds in their country of origin. The shells are cracked open using gentle processing with small rollers, and the kernels are freshly removed from the shells. This means they remain in their protective shells until shortly before further processing.

   IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KERNEL

5. TESTING

   Sweet almonds contain no hydrocyanic acid, so they can be eaten raw. However, sweet almond trees can occasionally produce bitter almonds. That is why every delivery is tested for bitter almonds. The proportion must be below 0.2 percent.

   SWEET, NOT BITTER

6. BLANCHING

   The sweet almonds are then blanched. This removes the dark skin surrounding the almonds, leaving behind a light, almost white almond. Before grinding, the almonds must dry again.

   THE SKIN MUST GO

7. GRINDING

   Most of our organic sweet almonds are ground very finely, down to a flour-like consistency. They are then referred to as “ground almonds,” not “almond flour,” which is a by-product of almond oil production. The ground almonds go into all our BERTRAND drinkable meals. Another portion of the almonds is processed into small almond pieces. We use these to enhance our BERTRAND classic and BERTRAND vegan varieties.

   THE WHOLE ALMOND WITH ALL ITS NUTRIENTS

8. METAL DETECTION

   As a final step to ensure flawless quality, the almonds undergo a “metal detection” process. This filters out any metal particles that may have entered the almond mixture during the preceding processing steps.

   QUALITY CONTROL IS GOOD

But why almonds?

Organic almonds are a valuable food. Some even consider them a “superfood.” It is no coincidence that almonds were once an important staple food in subtropical regions. In Arab countries, these delicious kernels are still used in many dishes or enjoyed as a popular snack between meals. We too want to make use of the almond’s many vitamins, minerals, and healthy (unsaturated) fats in our BERTRAND drinking meals.
Among the vitamins found in almonds, the B vitamins and vitamin E stand out. Their content is truly remarkable. The B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, and folic acid) are considered free-radical scavengers. They play a key role in metabolism, are important for blood formation, and support the transmission of nerve impulses. Vitamin E is also known as an antioxidant. It also protects plant-based fats from quickly becoming rancid. This means that the fatty almond has built-in protection against spoilage. Among the minerals and trace elements, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and zinc stand out because they are present in significant quantities. With the help of almonds, we can therefore also ensure the nutrient intake we promise you, in accordance with the reference values under NRV (Nutrient Reference Value).
Almonds contain around 54 percent fat. A large proportion consists of monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), with a smaller proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid). This gives almonds a health-promoting fat composition similar to that of olive oil. Due to their high fat content, 100 grams of almonds contain a substantial 580 kilocalories. However, studies have shown that the energy is not fully absorbed because of their high fiber content. For example, only around 129 kilocalories are absorbed from a serving containing 170 kilocalories. At the same time, the kernels are highly and long-lastingly filling. And one almond weighs just 1 gram.

Last but not least, organic sweet almonds simply taste delicious: mild and slightly sweet, with a subtle nuttiness that is not overpowering. We therefore also use them as a flavor component in our BERTRAND drinkable meals. In the BERTRAND classic and BERTRAND vegan varieties, we also use almonds in small pieces to create a special mouthfeel with a light crunch. In BERTRAND active, we leave out the crunch so that this variety is particularly easy to drink, for example during sports.

The proportion of bitter almonds can be detected!

Our manufacturers detect the proportion of bitter almonds in their products and guarantee that it is below 0.2%.

Concerns about almonds?

Bitter almonds contain approximately 3 to 5 percent amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside. During digestion, it is metabolized by the breakdown of sugar into highly toxic hydrocyanic acid (hydrogen cyanide, HCN). Untreated, raw bitter almonds are therefore not suitable for consumption. The hydrocyanic acid is destroyed only through cooking, as it is highly volatile and sensitive to heat. This is why there are concerns about almonds in general, but these are unfounded with regard to our drinkable meals. Before we add almonds to our products, they are tested for bitter almonds. Only if the proportion is below 0.2 percent are they approved for further use. We can therefore rule out the presence of bitter almonds—and thus hydrocyanic acid—in BERTRAND drinkable meals in quantities harmful to health.