SACRAMENTO -- Really, how many food products can you make with almonds?

Not nearly enough, according to officials of Blue Diamond Growers, which on Thursday formally opened its 6,500-square-foot Almond Innovation Center amid its sprawling complex of buildings in Sacramento.

The center is intended to lead Blue Diamond's efforts to develop new almond products. The company also laid down a welcome mat for global food companies that want to explore the potential benefits of almond products worldwide.

Mark Jansen, president and CEO of the 103-year-old Sacramento-based cooperative, called the facility "the world's only research center dedicated to designing cutting-edge almond products."

Working in comparatively humble labs, Blue Diamond research and development workers have been developing almond products that previous generations might have considered unlikely -- everything from nondairy beverages to Blazin' Buffalo Wing-flavored almonds in a can.

John O'Shaughnessy, Blue Diamond's general manager for North American retail operations, said Thursday that all new branded almond products introduced during the past 10 years were produced by Blue Diamond.

He said the cooperative, owned by 3,000-plus growers, has introduced a dozen new almond products in the United States alone over the past six months. Another dozen are set to debut in the next six months.

Now, development will be done in a pristine center that resembles a hybrid of a massive hotel kitchen and a top-tier medical research facility. The center is stocked with exotic-looking devices to measure taste, shelf life, pH levels, flavor coatings and much more.

To comment or read more, see the story on sacbee.com.