The Difference Between Raw, Pasteurized and Roasted Almonds In 2007, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) with help from the Almond Board of California, passed a law requiring all almonds sold in commercial quantities to undergo pasteurization in order to prevent salmonella contamination. That means that just about every almond eaten in the United States has been pasteurized. Almond Pasteurization and Raw Almonds The most common form of pasteurization consists of using steam to kill any surface bacteria that might be on the almonds. Our concern was what that did to the nutritional value of the nuts themselves. The...