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Christmas is the time of various nuts which experts classify as dry shell fruits. They include walnuts, hazelnuts and coconuts, almonds, sweet chestnuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts or cashew nuts. A specific kind is peanuts, fruits of the groundnut plant.

Nuts are an excellent source of energy, some growth substances and minerals; they contain plant oils consisting primarily of unsaturated fatty acids, and certain vitamins of B group in particular.

However, certain advantages have also negative aspects – high oil content carries the risk of nut spoilage – they go rancid. It is very difficult to prevent it completely and therefore we should check the aroma of nuts either already in the shop or at home immediately after purchase. A stale smell shows poor quality fruits that we should not buy or we should reclaim them. Even though low temperature slows such spoilage, it is recommended to buy smaller amounts of nuts that we can rapidly consume.

Nuts are rather often affected by different pests, perhaps the most often it concerns sweet chestnuts that easily become wormy. Such products, of course, must not be sold. Sweet chestnuts are sometimes sold germinated or with excessively damp surface where moulds can develop easily. Either is, of course, inadmissible. It is therefore advisable to examine the chestnuts when buying them and not to buy suspicious fruits.

Any nuts affected by moulds are dangerous to our health because they can produce carcinogenic substances – aflatoxins. Fortunately, these develop only at higher temperatures, usually above 25oC. If we have a bit of bad luck we may “produce” aflatoxin also at home, but if we put the nuts, for example, in the fridge, the risk is minimal. It is, however, advisable to take notice whether the nuts are not visibly affected by moulds already when buying them, and not to buy or consume such nuts. With regard to very strict control, there is, however, only a small likelihood that such nuts will reach the market, since the Food Inspection Authority samples them for laboratory evaluation yet before they are released into circulation.