Artificial Nuts:
Nutty Substitutions To Produce
Healthy Snacks
Artificial nuts are often used in the food industry in the manufacture of healthy snacks because some nut varieties tend to have a much higher cost. For the manufacturer, it is a cost effective way of enabling them to get their product to market at a more affordable price to the general public. Using Peanuts as SubstitutesIn some situations, a company may substitute a peanut, de-flavored, re-worked and then re-flavored as a substitute for the common English walnut, pecan, almond or cashew. This may be frequently done for two reasons:- Due to the fact that all nuts are from a plant, therefore a product of nature, some years because of poor crop yield, farmers will not be able to meet the necessary demand. Manufacturing and production therefore developed a low cost alternative for use in lean years.
- The alternative substitute nut is a more cost effective option. The peanut, re-worked is actually a more cost effective version of a higher end nut with no noticeable change in flavor, shape or texture.
How Is An Artificial Nut MadeTo make any of the top four-cashews, walnuts, pecans or almonds, the process starts with the peanut. The peanut goes through a soaking cycle which removes the peanut taste. The now de-flavored peanut, after drying, is finely ground into a nut meal. This nut "dust" is now re-flavored to the nut of choice. With special molds and equipment the nut meal is now pressed and formed into the shape needed. The finished product is now indistinguishable from the original nut.Safety Concerns For The Peanut AllergicRemember though, a peanut de-flavored and re-flavored is still a peanut. It does retain some of the allergenic peanut proteins even in its new form. Therefore, all individuals which do suffer from a peanut allergy must avoid all artificial nuts.
Return to "Tree Nut Allergy" from "Artificial Nuts".
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This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.
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