There is a need to develop alternative crops to improve the food security and prosperity\nof developing countries. The tropical nut Canarium indicum (canarium nut) is increasingly used\nas a shade tree for cocoa and has potential for commercialization as a sustainable crop that will\nimprove food security and livelihoods in Melanesia and East Asia. There is no information on\ncanarium nut shelf life characteristics. Canarium kernels may be prone to rancidity, due to a high\ncontent of unsaturated fatty acids. Kernels at 5.4% moisture content were vacuum-packed with a\ndomestic vacuum-packaging system and stored for six months in Papua New Guinea and for nine\nmonths in Southeast Queensland, Australia at both ambient temperatures (22 to 31 ââ??¦C and 22 to\n25 ââ??¦C, respectively) and under refrigeration. Nuts were analysed for changes in peroxide values\nand free fatty acids (FFAs) over the storage periods that might indicate development of rancidity.\nPeroxide values indicated very low levels of oxidation in all treatments. Free fatty acids were at low\nlevels but increased significantly during storage at ambient temperatures. The results suggested that\nvacuum-packed Canarium nuts can be stored safely under ambient tropical conditions for six months\nwith daytime temperatures around 31 ââ??¦C, and for nine months at 25 ââ??¦C. Increasing FFA levels at\nambient temperatures indicate caution about longer storage time at ambient temperatures. Storage\nunder refrigeration greatly prolonged shelf life.
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