The outlook for innovation with almonds
23 Jan 2018 | Almond Board of California
The Almond Board of California highlights the positives and the strategies that it is employing from a sustainability perspective. “We take a very holistic approach in terms of the research that we fund to support our growers and our crop,” says Karen Lapsley. “From that perspective, we have four research programs, and now we’ve just added on a whole biomass research program with the ultimate goal of working toward zero waste for our crop.” In terms of the hulls and shells from the almonds, the board is looking for different ways to process and utilize them, with potential examples being animal feed and insect farming.
At the FAA in Frankfurt.
I'm here with Karen Lapsley from the board of California.
Karen, almonds go under a lot of criticism sometimes from a sustainability perspective, but I think what you're really highlighting here is that there are some positives to be taken and there are some strategies that you're employing from that regard.
Yes, for sure, we take a very holistic approach in terms of the Research that we fund to support our growers and our crop.
And so from that point of view, we have 4 research programs and now we've just added on a whole biomass research program with the ultimate goal working towards zero waste for our crops.
Can you give an example of how that's being implemented and what you do in that regard?
In terms of the hulls and shells, from the almonds, we're looking at , different ways to process and utilize those, those either for animal feed, for example, or we're even doing insect farming.
All right, OK, OK.
And you're here showing really how the how the whole tree can be used and what, what, what do you mean by that?
In terms of, first of all, the kernel, the whole health story and versatility, but then, following from that in terms of the rest of the material, the rest of the biomass that the tree produces, we want to find more uses for it, all those.
All those sources of agricultural waste and bad value for our drawers and for the industry.
From a product development point of view, what what are some of the things that you're working on right now?
It's our industry members that do the product development.
We do some, we do some generic concept work for, to show different prototypes or ways that almonds can be used, but, obviously in terms of almond butters, almond pastes, though, so that people can incorporate.
Different forms of almonds into more food formulations, add more plant protein.
That's obviously a big trend for everybody these days, and we we want to play in that space as.
Which application areas are really trending now for almonds?
Almond milk, there's no question that, that's, that's, a hot area in terms of, for our industry members.
But as I, as I said, in terms of the butter and the paste and the sauces and being able to get almonds into main dishes as.
OK, what's going on.
Yes, it is.
It's great.
It's a great time.
It's a positive going into 2018.
It is.
We have the largest crop ever, , that came out of the orchard this year and, healthy markets around the world.
Karen, thank you very much.
Thank you.
