SAN FRANCISCO — New research has identified over 500 plant-based compounds in California almonds, including 17 with known biological effects on human health—six of which had never been reported in almonds before. The findings, published in Food Chemistry, significantly expand what is known about the nut’s nutritional profile and potential health benefits.
The study was the result of a collaboration between Brightseed, a biosciences company, and the Almond Board of California. Researchers used Brightseed’s proprietary AI platform, Forager, to analyze three common almond varieties: Nonpareil, Independence, and Monterey. The analysis uncovered 530 phytochemicals—four times the number previously documented in almonds.
“These findings deepen our understanding of almonds’ nutritional value and health benefits and further validate the inclusion of almonds in healthy dietary patterns,” said Elena Hemler, associate director of nutrition research at the Almond Board of California. “This study underscores the power of leveraging emerging metabolomic and AI tools to uncover new insights across health and nutrition.”
Phytochemicals are natural plant compounds that can support a range of health areas, including brain, gut, metabolic, immune, and cellular functions. The study also looked at how processing methods, such as pasteurization, might affect almond composition.
Clay Bloszies, PhD, associate director of metabolomics at Brightseed, said the findings represent a small fraction of what might still be discovered. “With millions of bioactives yet to be discovered, our Forager AI platform is really just in the early days of illuminating powerful small molecules to elevate human health,” he said.
This research builds on three decades of almond-related health studies, which have connected almond consumption to heart health, weight management, and blood glucose regulation. However, until now, the detailed molecular composition of almonds had not been thoroughly explored.
The results support the growing recognition of almonds not just as a source of healthy fats and protein, but as a functional food with bioactive compounds that could play a role in future dietary recommendations and health products.
