**1. Introduction**

The consumption of nuts, including almonds, is associated with some positive health benefits such as antioxidant capacities, anticancer and antiatherogenic actions, as well as the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses [1]. The health benefits of almond are related to the availability of unsaturated fatty acids [2] and polyphenols which are known to improve human health [3]. Although almonds are mainly eaten in the raw state, sliced, or roasted, almonds can also be processed to obtain products such as marzipan, butter, milk, and oil [4]. Besides their direct consumption, almonds are added to several sweet or savory dishes and food products for special purposes, such as improve complexion or texture. Two major methods used in the processing of almonds are roasting and blanching [5]. Roasting and blanching can significantly alter the physical, chemical, and nutritive properties of the almond kernel, thus resulting in desired changes in texture, color, flavor, aroma, and taste [6]. Positive changes are particularly evident in the case of the brittle roasted almond, whose pleasant color and aroma results from the decrease in moisture level observed after roasting [7]. Modifications at a microstructural level due to processing can also lead to unwanted changes such as lipid oxidation and nutrient loss [8]. Almond processing can also result in unpleasant odor, flavor, and color [9] which influences sensorial acceptance by consumers [10]. The chemical composition of almonds is greatly influenced by pre-harvest factors such as geographical location, physiological events, cultural practices, harvesting plans (e.g., the maturity stage of the fruit at harvest) and genotype often regarded as the most important [11,12]. Thus, it can be hypothesized that the effect of processing on the composition of almond will vary based on the cultivars. In the north of Portugal, there is a large area of almond cultivation which has been assigned a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status: Amêndoa Douro. The cultivars grown in Amêndoa Douro have been the subject of few scientific studies [13–15]. Preliminary data indicate that these cultivars are low-yielding due to unsuitable soils and environments as well as poor management practices [13]. Currently, new orchards are being planted with foreign almond cultivars, including the French cultivar Ferragnès and the Spanish cultivar Glorieta [16]. Lack of knowledge about the nutritive value of Portuguese cultivars has led to the assumption that these cultivars are of low quality. As a result, most growers and processing companies have lost interest in the Portuguese cultivars. The overall goal of this study was to determine and compare raw, roasted, and blanched Portuguese (cultivars Casanova, Molar, Pegarinhos, and Refêgo) and foreign cultivars (Ferragnès and Glorieta) concerning their nutritive value (fatty acid composition), eating qualities (sensorial characteristics) and bioactivities (content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities).

#### **2. Results and Discussion**

## *2.1. Content of Bioactive Compounds in Almond Cultivars*

Significant cultivar differences were observed in the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of raw kernels (Table 1). The total phenolic content ranged from 0.048 in Glorieta to 0.189 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g in Pegarinhos. The above range is similar to the range reported for other Portuguese cultivars (0.09–1.63 mg GAE/g; [17], but lower than the values reported for California (1.27–2.41 mg GAE/g; [18]) almonds. The values obtained for the total phenolic content in the present study are considerably different from the values obtained in our previous work using the same cultivars harvested in 2017 [14–16]. The above observation may be attributed to climate variability among the different growing seasons. Averagely, Portuguese cultivars had higher levels of phenolics (0.10 mg GAE/g) than the foreign cultivars (0.06 mg GAE/g in Ferragnès and 0.05 mg GAE/g in Glorieta). The total flavonoid content ranged from 0.35 in Pegarinhos to 1.86 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g in Refêgo; the above values were considerably lower than those reported for the same cultivars harvested in previous years in Portugal [14]. Besides differences linked to the genotype, a strong influence of the harvest time is already known, suggesting that the synthesis of antioxidant compounds can occur in the last stage of ripening has already been reported. In the present work, all samples were harvested at commercial maturity, but slight variations on the ripening stage might be also linked to the differences between years.
