How much oil is in a good badam?
About half of a good almond is oil, and most of it is the healthy, unsaturated kind. Here is what the numbers say, what India's food standard requires, and how to check your almonds at home.
Ask anyone in an Indian household how to judge badam and you will hear about the oil: rub it, break it, see if it feels rich. There is real science behind that habit. The oil is where most of an almond's goodness sits, and it is also the first thing to suffer when almonds are old or badly stored.
Half of a good almond is oil
According to the US Department of Agriculture's food database, 100 g of almonds contains about 50 g of fat.1 Most of it is the kind your heart prefers:
| Type of fat | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Monounsaturated (the same family as olive oil) | 31.6 g | 63% |
| Polyunsaturated | 12.3 g | 25% |
| Saturated | 3.8 g | 8% |
So close to 90% of the fat in almonds is unsaturated. That is very different from the fat in fried namkeen or biscuits.
What India's food standard says
Since July 2021, almond kernels sold in India have had to meet an FSSAI standard. It sets three limits:2
- Oil content: at least 45%. Poor-grade kernels with little oil do not qualify.
- Moisture: no more than 6%. Damp almonds go soft and spoil faster.
- Acidity of the oil: no more than 1.25% (as oleic acid). This measures how far the oil has started to break down, which is what happens in old or badly stored almonds.
The same standard also lists defects such as rancid kernels, gummy or brown spots, and chipped or scratched kernels.3
Why the oil matters to you
Almond oil carries vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin. 100 g of almonds has 25.6 mg of vitamin E,1 so a 35 g handful gives you about 9 mg. Adults need about 15 mg a day,4 so one handful covers roughly 60% of it.
When almonds are stored warm, damp or open to the air for too long, that oil oxidises. The almond tastes flat, bitter or a bit like old paint. That is rancidity, and it means the good fats have started to turn.
How to check your almonds at home
- Snap test: a fresh almond breaks with a clean snap. If it bends or feels chewy, it has absorbed moisture.
- Smell: fresh almonds smell sweet and nutty. A sour, sharp or paint-like smell means the oil has gone rancid.
- Taste: good almonds taste mild and sweet. If one is strongly bitter, spit it out. Bitter almonds and apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide when digested.5
- Look: even colour, no dark or gummy spots, no tiny holes or powder in the pack.
Keep them fresh
Store almonds in an airtight jar, away from the stove and sunlight. In the Haryana summer, or if you buy more than a month's supply, keep them in the fridge. Buy from a shop where stock moves quickly, and do not be shy about asking to taste one first. At our Hisar store you are always welcome to.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Nuts, almonds (FDC ID 170567), values per 100 g
- FSSAI almond kernel standard: Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Third Amendment Regulations, 2020, as reported by FnB News, August 2020
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report: Almond Kernel Standards Published in the Indian Gazette, August 2020
- US National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin E fact sheet
- Food Standards Scotland: Update on advice on the sale of apricot kernels and bitter almonds (2017)