New Route to the Production of Almond Beverages Using Hydrodynamic Cavitation

Almond beverages are gaining ever-increasing consumer preference in the growing marketof non-alcoholic vegetable beverages, ranking in first place among oilseed-based drinks, mainlydue to the perceived healthy benefits. However, the high cost of the raw material, time and energyconsuming pre-treatments such as soaking, blanching and peeling, and post-treatments such asthermal sterilization, leading also to the loss of valuable macronutrients and micronutrients, hinderthe sustainability, affordability and spread of almond beverages. Hydrodynamic cavitation processeswere applied, as a single-unit operation, to the extraction in water of almond skinless kernelsin the form of flour and fine grains, and to whole almond seeds in the form of coarse grains, up tohigh concentrations. The results showed full compliance with a high-end commercial product andwith the expected levels based on the properties of the raw materials. The concentrated extract obtainedfrom whole almond seeds showed a comparatively much higher antiradical activity, likelydue to the contribution of the almond kernel skin. In conclusion, hydrodynamic cavitation couldrepresent a convenient alternative processing route to the production of conventional and new integralalmond beverages, avoiding multiple and costly technological steps, while affording fast productioncycles of potentially healthier beverages.