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AK tested ground hazelnuts: five out of twelve failed

AK tested ground hazelnuts: five out of twelve failed

Four samples were impaired and one was even unfit for human consumption, two were still in good condition, only four were unobjectionable. The interest group reported this in a press release on Wednesday.

The AK consumer advocates had twelve packs of commercially available grated hazelnuts tested in the laboratory for appearance, smell and taste. They were also examined for bacterial and mold infestation and for aflatoxins.

The average price of 100 grams of conventional hazelnuts is between one and 1.70 euros, organic nuts between two and 4.10 euros. Both more expensive and cheaper products were rated unequivocally, but only the most expensive organic product received a clear “very good”.

Sensory deviations were found in half of the samples

Sensory deviations were found in half of the samples, which did not necessarily lead to a devaluation. However, the “dull, musty, rancid smell and the bitter, rancid, old, scratchy taste” caused two products to be “impaired” in the experts’ assessment. Also impaired were two products with enterobacteria above the benchmark, one of which also had mold above the benchmark and sensory defects.

One sample was sensory and microbiologically defective. The level of enterobacteria was above the warning value, the total number of germs and the amount of mold above the reference value. These nuts were objected to as being unfit for human consumption.

Nuts are often attacked by mold. Under certain circumstances, these form toxic metabolic products such as aflatoxins, which have a high carcinogenic potential and can damage the genetic material. They were detected in three samples, but below the limit value of the Contaminants Ordinance, so there was no reason for complaint.

The AK would like an indication of origin, which is currently not mandatory for ground nuts, in contrast to unpeeled hazelnuts. The products in the test came mainly from Turkey, with four suppliers not providing any information.

The test result for download:

Download to the article

PDF file from 11/09/2022 (500.75 KB)

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Source: Nachrichten

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