(December 6, 2019) - “In a perfect world, the best quality almond variety would be one that is self-compatible; pest resistant; high yielding; hulls well; cracks easily; can be blanched, sliced or roasted; tastes good and has all the phytonutrients for good health,” said Richard Waycott, Almond Board of California (ABC) President and CEO.
“In more than fifty years of almond breeding, we have yet to achieve this holy grail of an almond.”
Enter the Almond Board’s 2019 Crack Out Day. Held November 13, this event brought together public and private breeders, growers and handlers, hullers/shellers, UCCE researchers and farm advisors, and nursery representatives for an opportunity to sample more than 60 varieties of almonds. ABC staff and UC researchers worked tirelessly to bring in varieties from UC Davis and USDA breeding programs, private breeders, nurseries in California, and even leading varieties from Australia, Spain and Israel.
“In this event, ABC sought to engage the entire industry in a more comprehensive evaluation of new almond varieties,” said Waycott. “Breeding is an art of balancing improvements while accepting some trade-offs. Defining that balancing act must consider the various segments of the almond industry who have a stake in quality, starting with the growers, moving to the hullers and shellers, handlers, food companies, and ultimately, the consumer.”
Almond Board Chair Holly A. King kicked off the event by welcoming all attendees from across the industry. Following King, University of California (UC) Agriculture and Natural Resources’ farm advisor and San Joaquin County Director Roger Duncan provided an agronomist’s perspective on the ideal almond to grow. Duncan described all the factors growers consider before choosing what varieties to plant, with key factors being revenue as a function of kernel yield, almond quality and handler classification. He then discussed the attributes of an ideal almond, highlighting qualities associated with self-fruitful varieties such as homogeneous hullsplit, one harvest and a significant reduction in bees needed to pollinate the crop.
Ultimately, though, Duncan emphasized that there is no such thing as a perfect variety – growers have many factors to consider, and many sources of information to consult, including their huller/sheller and handler.
Next to the stage were Brad Craven, industry huller/sheller consultant, and Jim Morse, senior manager at Blue Diamond Growers. Craven shared perspectives on the ideal almond from a hulling and shelling point of view and how differences among varieties have an impact on almond quality and overall value. Craven emphasized that growers who condition their crop in the orchard before trucking it to the huller/sheller see significant improvements in the quality of their product, quality that follows them from the huller/sheller to the handler and ultimately the end consumer.
“I wish every grower ran conditioners. I think it’s the best innovation in harvesting equipment in years,” Craven said.
Craven concluded that an ideal almond, from the huller/sheller perspective, is one that makes for happy customers, both the end consumer and the grower themselves. Hullers/shellers, he said, strive to do all they can to help growers achieve premium price for their product by making necessary equipment adjustments, assessing moisture level, etc. to optimize the marketability of their crop. In the future, though, Craven said hullers/shellers will need to adapt to new varieties coming on the market by making advancements in their equipment, advancements he said have not been made at the same rate as handlers’ innovations.
To provide the handler perspective, Morse shared the challenges businesses such as Blue Diamond Growers must address when processing almonds of different varieties, different quality and handling kernels vs. inshell almonds.
“The challenges we faced 25 years ago are the same challenges we face today,” Morse said, challenges that include doubles and color defects (typically caused by in-orchard issues).
However, Morse pointed that improved processing capabilities via technological advancements have allowed handlers to produce less waste) than 25 years ago by putting lesser quality nuts into other processed product lines.
Finally, rounding out all perspectives around the perfect – or at least ideal – almond variety, Harbinder Maan, ABC’s Associate Director of Trade Stewardship, and Mark Kline, Senior Manager of Energy and Nut Purchasing at the Hershey Company, shared manufacturers’ and consumers’ opinions on what works best, and tastes best.
Maan provided an analysis of current trends in almond usage as well as how different almond varieties’ attributes segment into different products and consumer markets worldwide. She explained that almonds work well in multiple markets and that they’ve taken the lead ahead of other nuts in the realm of “snackification.” Driven by busy millennials, this growing trend shows that people are rapidly trading in their three daily meals for smaller snacks consumed throughout the day. This concept is now the largest driver of almond consumption globally, and one of the reasons that almonds are dominating new product introductions globally.
Maan then explained what almond attributes food manufacturers look for when selecting almonds for their products, attributes including kernel shape and size, surface color (light to dark) and surface texture (smooth to deeper groves), the ability to be blanched (for milk and baking) and more. Across all these factors, developers are looking for consistency so that they have the same product to work with each time.
Kline then took the stage to provide perspective from a key manufacturer, the Hershey Company. Hershey’s preferred almond attributes are straightforward: Hershey is looking for consistent flavor, size and shape, texture and grade. Even though Hershey continues to roll out new products, he said, consumers have shown that they love iconic brands, such as the Hershey bar with almonds and the Hershey Kiss with almonds, and in years past when Hershey slightly altered the recipe for those products consumers were up in arms. For instance, Hershey traditionally uses whole almonds in their milk chocolate bars with almonds. However, Hershey wanted to experiment with using chopped almonds instead to see if that garnered greater consumer interest in the product – but their decision was not popular. Consumers largely disliked the product and asked that whole almonds again be used. With this anecdote, Kline demonstrated how consumers pick up on even slight changes in product development, and how their opinions weigh heavily in Hershey’s decisions around new product development.
Finally, with all perspectives on the table, it was time to taste over 60 varieties of almonds.
Attendees were separated into groups and each person had the opportunity to taste and rate more than 20 varieties. Each variety was rated on a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 being “dislike extremely” and 9 being “like extremely,” based on the following factors:
- Appearance (color, irregular, uniform, visually appealing)
- Aroma/flavor (Marzipan, or fruity, or woody, or musty/earthy, or rubber)
- Taste (sweet, bitter)
- Texture (Hardness – force required to chew through the kernel, crunchy, chewy)
- Market potential (taster’s assessment)
During the tasting silence swept the room, save for the crunch of attendees biting into the kernels as each person meticulously considered and ranked the attributes of every variety.
Prior to the event, data on yield and growth properties of each variety were collected by the ABC-supported regional varietal trials and by private breeders and nurseries. UC Davis staff, included Ted DeJong, also measured crack out yield and kernel size. DeJong, Professor Emeritus at UC Davis and consultant to ABC on its varietal research, helped to organize the event and after the tasting recommended that the Almond Board take another look at some of the varieties planted in its variety trial to determine what varieties may warrant further exploration and which may not.
“Varietals are a really important facet for the industry, which was evidenced by the amount of interest today, both in the attendance and the dialogue amongst people throughout the industry. This Crack Out Day provided an opportunity for people to recognize that different sectors – from breeders to growers, handlers to manufacturers – are interested in different varietal traits,” said King.
The goal of the Almond Board’s Crack-Out Day was to assemble production and post-harvest inputs from across the almond industry to inform the process of new variety development. The event, however, was only one layer in ABC’s larger Crack Out Project, the main objective of which is to analyze advanced varietal selections from California and around the world to define each one’s industry potential. Ultimately, this effort seeks to support the industry’s development of new varieties that address the diverse growing conditions across the state and markets in California and abroad.
In terms of next steps, the Almond Board will support a compositional analysis focused on flavor and nutritional data for the varieties of greatest interest to the industry, including the highest-ranked varieties at the Crack Out event.
“Today provided an opportunity for people like Tom Gradziel, a UC Davis professor and lead public breeder for ABC’s almond and rootstock breeding programs, to exchange business cards with Hershey’s Mark Kline. It brought together people who work to create the starting product – the variety – and the end user to ultimately ensure the needs of the California almond industry and consumers worldwide are being met,” said Sebastian Saa, senior manager of Agricultural Affairs at ABC. “We look forward to taking these learnings and conducting a deeper analysis on what varieties will perform best for the industry in the upcoming years.”
