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Composition and Physicochemical Characterization of Walnut Flour, a By-product of Oil Extraction

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Abstract

The by-product of walnut oil (Juglans regia L.) extraction is a press cake rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and other bioactive compounds. From this cake, walnut flour is obtained by a milling process. The composition and a physicochemical characterization of walnut flour was performed: proximal composition, mineral content, and fatty acid and amino acid profiles were measured. Besides, antioxidant capacity and water and oil holding capacities were determined. Walnut flour has 55% of lipids with an optimum w6/w3 ratio, a good lysine/arginine ratio, and high levels of antioxidants that contribute to its oxidative stability, the estimated shelf life being 16 months. In regards to interaction with other ingredients, walnut flour retained 258 and 70% (w/w) of water and oil, respectively. Therefore, these results show that walnut flour is a good source of micro- and macronutrients, compared to flours commonly used in breadmaking. Also, walnut flour has good technofunctional properties and thus its incorporation could improve the nutritional and technological characteristics of new bakery products.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ABTS:

[2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)]

Cys:

Cysteine

DPPH:

2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

EAA:

Essential amino acids

ESEM:

Environmental scanning electron microscope

FRAP:

Ferric reducing antioxidant power

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalents

IC50 :

Half maximal inhibitory concentration

Met:

Methionine

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acids

Phe:

Phenylalanine

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

RNI:

Recommended nutrient intake

SFA:

Saturated fatty acids

TEAC:

Trolox equivalents

Tyr:

Tyrosine

WF:

Walnut flour

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Acknowledgements

To the UNLP (X661 and X771) and MINCYT (PICT 2014-3421, PICT 2015-0007 and PICT 2016-3047) for the financial support. Authors also want to thank the kind cooperation of Mariana Pennisi, Claudio Reyes, and Darío Cabezas in gas and liquid chromatography, and particle size measurements, respectively.

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  1. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos (CIDCA), Facultad de Cs. Exactas-UNLP, CIC, CONICET, 47 y 116, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Juan José Burbano & María Jimena Correa

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  1. Juan José Burbano
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  2. María Jimena Correa
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Correspondence to María Jimena Correa.

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Burbano, J.J., Correa, M.J. Composition and Physicochemical Characterization of Walnut Flour, a By-product of Oil Extraction. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 76, 233–239 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-021-00898-4

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