A holistic approach to pressure almond oil production

Purpose Almond oil is a gourmet product with functional food characteristics owing to its high almond oil content and high nutritional quality. One of the primary constraints on its production is the lack of information regarding oil extraction from an industrial perspective, including by-products generation. Design/methodology/approach The performance, quality and composition characteristics were analyzed, both from the physical-chemical and organoleptic point of view, of the almond oils obtained through two pressure systems: screw press (SP) and hydraulic press (HP). To ensure the success of almond oil production at a commercial scale, in this work, an economic study of the costs of the process was carried out as a complementary part of optimizing the production of virgin almond oil. Findings Physicochemical analysis showed little difference, just in total sterols (HP 2069, SP 2153) and some quality indexes (K232: HP 1.63, SP 2.13; peroxide index: HP 1.74, SP 0.95), in contrast to sensory analysis. Consumer judges valued roasted almond oil extracted using a HP the best. The production cost of the oil extracted with the SP was euro23.05/l. With the HP it was euro25.13/l, owing to the lower oil yield in the extraction. The most expensive treatment was for the HP with toasted almonds (euro27.76/l), owing to the greater need for processing. Originality/value Production costs derived from the method used have received little attention. This paper presents data that allow for the transference between academic and industrial ambit and their economic viability.