Defects of inshell walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts [Insect-infested, moldy, rancid and decomposed]

A survey was done to determine the level of defects in inshell walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts. The analytical data, which represented inshell nuts at the national retail level, were obtained on 406 samples of Brazil nuts, 386 samples of pecans and 450 samples of walnuts. Defective inshell nuts were classed as insect-infested, moldy, rancid, decomposed, shriveled, blank and dirty. The mean and percentage range of total defects were walnuts 4.0 (0-23.5), pecans 5.7 (0-47.0), and Brazil nuts 5.7 (0-24.1). The percentages of samples of each nut type which contained at least one defect were walnuts 88.0%, pecans 93.5%, and Brazil nuts 97.0%.