Chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of three hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars

Abstract

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a very popular dry fruit in the world being consumed in different form and presentations. In the present work, three hazelnut cultivars (cv. Daviana, Fertille de Coutard and M. Bollwiller) produced in Portugal, were characterized in respect to their chemical composition, antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity. The samples were analysed for proximate constituents (moisture, fat, crude protein, ash), nutritional value and fatty acids profile by GC/FID. Antioxidant potential was accessed by the reducing power assay, the scavenging effect on DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radicals and b-carotene linoleate model system. Their antimicrobial capacity was also checked against Gram positive (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and fungi (Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans). Results showed that the main constituent of fruits was fat ranging from 56% to 61%, being the nutritional value around 650 kcal per 100 g of fruits. Oleic was the major fatty acid varying between 80.67% in cv. F. Coutard and 82.63% in cv. Daviana, followed by linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Aqueous hazelnut extract presented antioxidant activity in a concentration-dependent way, in general with similar behaviour for all cultivars. Hazelnut extracts revealed a high antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria (MIC 0.1 mg/ mL) showing a good bioactivity of these fruits.

A multidisciplinary approach to enhance the conservation and use of hazelnut Corylus avellana L. genetic resources

“…The main compounds identified belong to four groups: flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin, two procyanidin dimers and three procyanidin trimers); flavonols (myricetin-3-Orhamnoside, quercetin pentoside and quercetin-3-Orhamnoside); benzoic acids (gallic acid and protocatechuic acid); and dihydrochalcones (phloridzin). These results contribute to biochemical characterization and explain genetic variability within the European hazelnut resources, as reported by different authors (Garrone and Vacchetti 1994;Durak et al 1999;Alasalvar et al 2009;Kornsteiner et al 2006;Oliveira et al 2008;Arcan and Yemenicioglu 2009;Bacchetta et al 2011). The large variation in phenolic content among cultivars indicates different antioxidant and nutritional values for their nuts, which is of great interest to consumers and industrial users (Jakopic et al 2010).…”

“…Among dry fruits, hazelnuts show an intermediate total polyphenols content, from a major content in walnuts and pistachios to a lesser value in pine nuts and macadamia nuts (Delgrado et al 2010). Moreover, hazelnut skin could potentially be considered as an inexpensive source of natural antioxidants (Alasalvar et al 2009) and leaf extract also exhibited high antioxidant activity (Oliveira et al 2008).…”

Investigation of the Effect of Olive Leaf and Clove Extracts Mixture on the Stability of Sunflower Oil During Repeated Deep Frying of Potatoes

“…β-Carotene-Linoleic acid system model: Antioxidant capacity of the extracts can also be measured by β-carotene-linoleic acid system model [11]. Firstly the β-carotene solution was prepared.…”

Turkish Tombul hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) protein concentrates: functional and rheological properties

“…Proximate composition of hazelnut is about 62 % fat, 16 % protein and 11 % carbohydrate and changes with variety. Hazelnut composition (Alasalvar et al 2003;Venkatachalam and Sathe 2006), and good antioxidant effects of hazelnut (Amaral et al 2006;Oliveira et al 2008) are reported in literature.…”