Nutritional Quality of Chinese Chestnut and Effect of Cooking on its Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity. Issue 6 (21st April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hou, Fan; Shi, Xianhe; Li, Qian; Xie, Shuangshuang; Wu, Yanwen; Ouyang, Jie
• Is Part Of: Journal of food processing and preservation. Volume 40:Issue 6(2016:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1383
• Page End: 1390
• Publication Date: 2016-04-21
• Subjects: Food -- Preservation -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; 664.005
• DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.12723
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-8892

Abstract

Abstract: Chemical compositions of four famous chestnut cultivars from North China and effect of cooking on its bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity were studied. Chestnuts contained high levels of starch (48.20–71.08%, dry matter – d.m.) and low fat content (1.87–2.98% d.m.). The contents of crude protein and water‐soluble protein were 4.42–8.27 and 2.09–2.92% d.m., while those of reducing sugar, sucrose, glucose and fructose were 2.06–6.67, 8.96–15.21, 0.22–0.92 and 0.18–0.67 mg/g d.m., respectively. The contents of total phenolic, total flavonoids and ascorbic acid in fresh chestnuts decreased by 7–15%, 17–26% and 58–69% after frying process, respectively. The 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacities of ethanol extract of chestnuts showed a high correlation with phenolic content in fresh chestnut. Although total phenolic decreased in fried chestnut, the antioxidant activity increased due to the effect of formed Maillard reaction products. Chestnut is demonstrated to be health beneficial before and after cooking. Practical Applications: How to select raw materials for the industrial processing of packaged chestnut kernel is very important because the nutrient contents vary very much in different cultivars of chestnut. The North China cultivars are generally considered to be better than South China cultivars for the delicious taste, but the fundamental reason remains unknown. In the present study, the starch and amylopectine contents were found to be high in North China chestnut cultivars, which is responsible for the good edible quality. Chestnut is regarded as healthy food because it is rich in both proximate compositions and bioactive compounds, and it was found that the antioxidant activity of chestnut increased after thermal processing. We believe that chestnut industry can utilize the results of this study in the raw material selection and health benefits of cooked chestnut.