The dark side of nuts... from moulds and aflatoxins

Surely you have heard before that mouldy nuts are particularly dangerous and harmful to health. Today, we want to delve into this topic, get a little "scientific," and shed some light on it for you. Additionally, you will receive tips on the proper storage of nuts and once again get a behind-the-scenes look at 2DiE4. Because we take the shelf life and quality of our 2DiE4 nuts very seriously.

Mould Fungi and Their Nasty Toxins

Mould fungi thrive particularly well at moderate to warm temperatures, high humidity, and poor ventilation. Under these conditions, they produce so-called mycotoxin, which are toxins produced by mould fungi, with aflatoxins being the most well-known. There are at least 20 different aflatoxins, with aflatoxin B1 being the most dangerous for humans. By the way, the name "aflatoxin" is derived from the name of a mould fungus that produces this toxin: Aspergillus flavus-toxin.

Aflatoxins are particularly dangerous because they have damaging effects on the kidneys and liver and are carcinogenic. Unfortunately, they are resistant to heat and cold and remain present even during baking, cooking, frying, or freezing.

Unfortunately, they are also invisible to the human eye and have neither taste nor odour.

Identifying Mould Contamination

What we humans can see and smell, however, is mould contamination. As soon as your nuts show discolouration, visible, a musty smell, or a repulsive taste: spit them out immediately and discard the nuts! Fortunately, our senses are very sensitive to such signs of spoilage, and we feel a natural aversion. It's important for you to know that ground nuts are much more susceptible to contamination than whole nuts due to their significantly increased surface area.

Threshold Values for the Protection of Our Health

Nuts that come from humid and warm regions of the world are particularly prone to mould contamination. Because mould toxins are so harmful, there are threshold values in the EU that are monitored through sampling. If the values are too high for imported goods, there are so-called border rejections, preventing contaminated nuts from entering the EU internal market.

Your 2DiE4 Nuts are Tested Thoroughly

At 2DiE4, we take food safety very seriously. All our nuts that do not originate from the EU are already tested by the manufacturer for aflatoxins. Additionally, the health department regularly takes samples from all food processing companies, including ours. In addition to that, we take a sample from each new batch of our nut varieties and send it to the laboratory. We only process our nuts when we are certain that no mould toxins are present. Furthermore, we store our raw nuts at very cool temperatures to provide unfavourable conditions for mould growth. We also prefer to order fresh nuts more frequently, avoiding long storage periods. As you can see, we guard our nuts like treasure!

The Activation extends the shelf life of your nuts

During the activation process, our nuts are first soaked in a solution of spring water and sea salt and then gently dried for many hours. Afterward, our 2DiE4 nuts are wonderfully crunchy and contain very little moisture. As a result, they are much less susceptible to spoilage than their raw counterparts. Once the nuts have cooled down, they are carefully airtight packaged. To be extra cautious, we even store our activated nuts in a refrigerated warehouse until they are on their way to you. So, you can enjoy your 2DiE4 activated nuts with complete peace of mind!

Our Tips for the Shelf Life of Your Activated Nuts

It's better to buy fresh nuts more often and enjoy them soon! Make sure to store your 2DiE4 nuts in their airtight packaging and always seal it carefully. Store your nuts in a cool, dry, and dark place.

So, if you take care of your activated nuts as well as we do, you're on the right track. And if they happen to sit around for a bit longer, don't worry! Thanks to activation, our careful process, and airtight packaging, your 2DiE4 nuts stay fresh, crunchy, and healthy for a long time. Just like you!