High Quality Argentina Pecan

Food Brain S.R.L. has in-depth knowledge in pecan production, nature and working in a competitive agribusiness environment. The different parts constituting the value chain of the company (growers, suppliers, processors, among others) generate value-added, as well as economic and social sustainability in the local community. The company stands out for having a very strict quality control process in all procedures from production, harvesting, processing until delivery. It is a family-owned business with the support of external services. The company has experience in exporting to Thailand, Hong Kong and Brazil. It wishes to expand exports to Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, Europe, Uruguay, China, Dubai, and Russia.

Pecan nuts are stored in cold storage set at a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius or less. The moisture levels are a maximum of 65%. The storage is done in local storages approved by local health regulatory organization for food (SENASA). The product is packed for orders in 1050 bags x 20 kg Raffia. The product is ready for delivery within 30 to 60 days depending on when the order is placed. Sea freight is preferred as the mode of transport and the preferred Ports are Buenos Aires/ Zarate.

Food Brain S.R.L. applies good practices based on the INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) recommendations and the permanent support of Lomas de Zamora and La Plata Agriculture departments for specifics local requirements related to soil, water, scab, pests and so on. The company is associated with the Chamber of Pecans in Argentina as well as the Pecan nuts Cluster. Both organizations are working to improve every day the pecan nuts quality and productivity which improves competitiveness. The quality aspects that the company most pays attention to are the moisture, external and internal damages.

The company follows the quality standards of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) which is a decentralized public entity that generates knowledge and makes it available to growers. Currently, INTA is developing a system of identification and traceability based on molecular genetic markers (pecan bio coding). The genetic material of the plants comes from the germplasm bank of the official agency INTA ProPecan.Commercial production develops from varieties registered in the governmental entity INASE (National Seed Institute).

The quality control of the product is done by Independent agronomists and SGS registered inspectors. They perform in situ a rigorous control and analysis of the crop of each associate. Every bag is identified and every batch is controlled before it is sent to the warehouse, where it is shipped to the final destination.

The company follows standards set by the Argentine legislation on regulations on GAP issued by the SAGPyA (Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food) and SENASA (National Health Service and Agri-Food Quality) to ensure safety, good product quality and the workers’ health. The company is in the process of obtaining the Organic and GAP certification with OIA.

The average production yield of pecan nut is 38 MT and the harvesting period is from between May and June. The good weather, suitable soils and the abundance of water to irrigate new forests translate into the production of larger nuts, making the company's production very competitive. The company produces pecan varieties of the same quality as that of the largest global exporters and the company has the advantage of off-season production with respect to the Northern Hemisphere.

The pecan-nut tree is deciduous and can therefore only be transplanted during the winter. The best results are obtained when establishing orchards with trees planted during July and August. Newly planted trees must be irrigated carefully and immediately as too much water given before the tree starts growing, may cause the roots to rot. The inspection of young trees is regularly done during the first season after planting. They should be treated against possible termite attacks by timeously destroying all termite nests in the vicinity.

The trees should be white-washed to prevent sunburn damage. It is advisable to put straw mulch around the base of the young tree for better moisture conservation and to protect the roots against high temperatures. After planting, the trees must be topped to encourage branching to form a framework at the recommended height of 1 m. The processing procedures include conditioning plants with cleaner, moisture control (ovens), sizing, removal of vanes (empty) and visual inspection for damage.

Pecan Nuts are full of protein, nutrients, and good fats. They have heart-healthy fats - over half the fat (about 60%) found in pecans is monounsaturated fat and approximately another 30% is polyunsaturated fat. Eating a handful of pecans also provides nutrients such as vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and several B vitamins. The Pecan nuts also contain a significant amount of gamma-tocopherol, a unique form of vitamin E that can benefit intestinal health and have a protective effect on prostate cancer, according to research studies. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that pecans help lower cholesterol better than a traditional low-fat, heart-healthy diet. In the study, the pecan-enriched diet lowered LDL cholesterol levels by 16.5%, which was more than twice as much as the Step I diet (the diet recommended by the American Heart Association as the first line of therapy for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels). Similarly, the pecan enriched diet lowered total cholesterol levels 11.3%, twice as much as the Step I diet. "More than 30 studies have shown that including nuts in the diet can reduce the risk of heart disease regardless of the individual nut studied," noted Guy Johnson, Ph.D., nutrition consultant to the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. In particular, several recent studies have shown that pecans can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol.

Food Brain S.R.L offers raw in-shell pecan nuts of high quality. They offer Stuart, Starking, Mahan, Kernodle, Shoshoni, Pawnee, Choctaw and Desirable variants produced using conventional methods of cultivation. The nuts are extra large in size and one serving provides 10% of the daily value for zinc and fibre. The pecan nuts can be stored for 12 months at a controlled temperature and humidity. The product can be used for direct consumption or in the making of cakes, ice cream, desserts, healthy dried fruit mix, cereal bars as well as for salads, pasta, oil extraction, pecan milk and others.