Blue Diamond and Brightseed partner to discover and investigate the healthful bioactive compounds in California almonds

Blue Diamond (Sacramento, CA) and Brightseed (San Francisco, CA) have partnered to discover the untapped potential of California almonds, using Brightseed’s proprietary AI, Forager. Forager draws connections between bioactives in plants and clinically validated biological mechanisms that affect health conditions, allowing Brightseed and its partners to form testable hypotheses. The results of this collaboration will inform Blue Diamond’s health innovations and programs, such as consumer education initiatives. As part of a collaborative research program, Forager has already profiled Blue Diamond’s whole natural almonds and identified 188 bioactive compounds with the potential to impact human health, including mental wellness, metabolic health, and immunity.

“As an almond-focused grower cooperative and an innovation leader in almond-based ingredients and consumer products, we are thrilled to collaborate with Brightseed to gain a deeper understanding of this unique superfood,” said Blue Diamond’s senior director of R&D, Kurt Waananen, in a press release. “Almonds are already well-studied, but this collaboration gives us a deeper understanding and new ways to view future exploration of nutritional benefits and clinical studies.”

“Science has long known that bioactives are essential health-driving components within plants, but pinpointing their underlying mechanisms of action has been a largely intractable problem for the food, health, and nutrition industries,” said Brightseed co-Founder and COO Sofia Elizondo. “Our work with Blue Diamond enables Forager to tap into a global food staple and illuminate the almond health story for consumers worldwide. This is an important leap for the industry to champion food and functional ingredients as powerful and accessible modalities for precision nutrition for proactive health.”