Application of Traditional Cooking Methods in Chestnut Processing: Effects of Roasting and Boiling on Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Capacity in Castanea spp. Fruits

Dario Donno (), Maria Gabriella Mellano, Valeria Carini, Elena Bergamasco, Giovanni Gamba and Gabriele Loris Beccaro
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Dario Donno: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
Maria Gabriella Mellano: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
Valeria Carini: Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ulls väg 16, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Elena Bergamasco: Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science BCA, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy
Giovanni Gamba: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
Gabriele Loris Beccaro: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Science, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: More information on the effects of traditional cooking methods (roasting or boiling) on the chestnut composition may be important if health-promoting aspects are considered. The main aims of this study were to investigate and describe the phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of raw, boiled, and roasted chestnuts from several Castanea spp. genotypes, evaluating the influence of the application of different traditional cooking methods on the nut phytochemical composition by chromatographic and spectroscopic strategies. The amounts of phenolics were used as selected variables together with total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity to perform a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Catechins and tannins were the main molecules in the phenolic phytocomplex, reaching 30–40% of the total, followed by phenolic acids (5–20%) and flavonols (about 5%). Gallic and ellagic acids were the most important phenolic acids in raw and processed chestnuts (about 20–70 mg·100 g −1 dried weight-DW and 10–50 mg·100 g −1 DW, respectively). Both of the cooking processes significantly influenced the polyphenolic content and the relative antioxidant capacity. This research may support and confirm the potential use of chestnuts for human health, increasing the information on the phenolic pattern of differently processed Castanea spp. fruits from different genotypes to (i) assess the potential health-positive effects, (ii) help processing companies to select specific varieties to commercialise in the market, and (iii) increase the use of these fruits with the relative increase in income for the producers.

Keywords: processed chestnuts; phenolics; antioxidants; cooking processes; HPLC fingerprinting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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