Skip to main content

Nutrient data on chestnuts consumed in the United States

Economic Botany volume 42, pages 29–36 (1988)Cite this article

Abstract

American chestnuts (Castanea dentata) and Chinese chestnuts (C. mollissima) grown in the United States and imported European (Italian) chestnuts (C. sativa) were analyzed for proximate, mineral, and amino acid composition. Unlike most other tree nuts, chestnuts are low in protein and fat but high in carbohydrate. American and Chinese chestnuts were higher than European chestnuts for protein, ash, crude fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper but lower in fat. Essential amino acid patterns of chestnuts, as measured by chemical scoring, were about the same for American, Chinese, and European chestnuts.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Literature Cited

  • Anagnostakis, S. L. 1978. The American chestnut: new hope for a fallen giant. Connecticut Agric. Exp. Sta. Bull. 777.

  • Anonymous. 1972. Operations and maintenance manual, Durrum Amino Acid Analyzer Model D 500. Durrum Instrument Corp., Palo Alto, CA.

  • AOAC. 1980. Official methods of analysis, 13th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaubatie, L. 1979. Etude des lipides, en particulier des acides gras, du fruit de Castanea sativa (Miller). Bull. Soc. Pharm. Bordeaux 118:109–114.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beuchat, L. R. 1978. Relationship of water activity to moisture content in tree nuts. J. Food Sci. 43:754–755, 758.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —, and R. E. Worthington. 1978. Technical note: fatty acid composition of tree nut oil. J. Food Technol. 13:355–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, R. J., and H. H. Mitchell. 1946. The correlation of the amino acid composition of proteins with their nutritive value. Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 16(2):249–278.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dudek, J. A., and E. R. Elkins. 1984. Determination of the nutrient content of selected candies, nuts, condiments, beverages and vegetables. National Food Processors Association Research Foundation. Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. 1972. Food composition table for use in East Asia. Food and Agric. Organ, of United Nations, Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ha, B.-S., M.-S. Bae, T.-M. Jeong, N.-J. Sung, and Y.-O. Son. 1982. Studies on constituent variation during storage after freeze-drying of chestnut. Korean J. Food Sci. Technol. 14(2):97–105.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, R. S., F. K. C. Wang, Y. H. Wu, C.-H. S. Tsao, and L. Y. S. Loe. 1949. The composition of Chinese foods. J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 25:28–38.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hugli, T. E., and S. Moore. 1972. Determination of the tryptophan content of protein by ion exchange chromatography of alkaline hydrolysates. J. Biol. Chem. 247(9):2828–2834.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jaynes, R. A. 1979. Chestnuts. Pages 111–127 in R. A. Jaynes, ed., Nut tree culture in North America. Northern Nut Growers Assoc., Inc., Hamden, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. B. 1941. Factors for converting percentages of nitrogen in foods and feeds into percentages of protein. Circ. U.S.D.A. 183.

  • Jones, J. B., Jr. 1977. Elemental analysis of soil extracts and plant tissue ash by plasma emission spectroscopy. Commun. Soil Sci. & PI. Analysis 8(4):349–365.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuzayli, M. V., J. W. Cowan, and Z. I. Sabry. 1966. Nutritive value of Middle Eastern foodstuffs. II. Composition of pulses, seeds, nuts and cereal products of Lebanon. J. Sci. Food Agric. 17: 82–84.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manabe, T. 1975. Amino acid composition of Japanese chestnuts and amount of amino acids washed away during the syrupped chestnut (Kanroni) process. Bull. Hiroshima Agric. Coll. 5(2): 139–144.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meredith, F. I., M. H. Gaskins, and G. G. Dull. 1974. Amino acid losses in turnip greens (Brassica rapa L.) during handling and processing. J. Food Sci. 39:689–691.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miric, M., D. Stanimirovic, H. Hadrovic, and I. Miletic. 1973. Sastav masnih materija ploda kestena (Castanea sativa) sa podrucja metohije. Hrana I Ishrana 14(5–6):219–223.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. 1963. On the determination of cystine as cysteic acid. J. Biol. Chem. 238:235–237.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neubeller, J., and G. Buchloh. 1971. Untersuchungen über Fettsauremuster in Samen verschiedener Pflanzen insbesondere Obstarten, II. Klost. Hoehere Bundeslehr- & Versuchsanstalt Wein, Obst-, & Gartenbau Mitt. 23:469–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne, J. A., R. A. Jaynes, and S. J. Kays. 1983. Chinese chestnuts production in the United States: practice, problems, and possible solutions. Econ. Bot. 37(2): 187–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polansky, M. M., and E. Murphy. 1966. Vitamin B6 components in fruits and nuts. J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 48(2): 109–111.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rhee, C.-O., and Z.-U. Kim. 1982. Analysis of the lipid components in chestnut (Castanea crenata). Part I. Composition of lipid fraction of inner and outer part of chestnut. J. Korean Agric. Chem. Soc. 25(4):239–247.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Souci, S. W., W. Fachmann, and H. Kraut. 1981. Food composition and nutrition tables, 1981/1982. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suh, K. S., P. J. Han, and S. J. Lee. 1974. Studies on the processing of chestnut (Castanea pubinervis Schneid). Part 1. Trials on the raw material adaptability for processing and colored products development. Korean J. Food Sci. Technol. 6(2):98–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taira, H., and H. Taira. 1964. Amino acid composition of seeds and nuts. J. Jap. Soc. Food Nutr. 17:244–247.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • U.S.D.A. 1976. Composition of foods: dairy and egg products; raw, processed, prepared. U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 8-1.

  • -. 1984. Composition of foods: nut and seed products; raw, processed, prepared. U.S.D.A. Agric. Handb. 8-12.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition Monitoring Division, Human Nutrition Information Service, Hyattsville, MD

    F. I. Meredith

  2. Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A., Athens, GA

    F. I. Meredith

Authors
  1. M. A. McCarthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. I. Meredith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McCarthy, M.A., Meredith, F.I. Nutrient data on chestnuts consumed in the United States. Econ Bot 42, 29–36 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859026

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859026

Keywords

  • Economic Botany
  • Crude Fiber
  • Limit Amino Acid
  • American Chestnut
  • Amino Acid Pattern