Characterizing the antioxidant activity and sensory profile of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) grown in the Cimini Mountains of central Italy

For the first time, the antioxidant activity, sensory profile and fatty acid composition of an exceptional chestnut cultivar from the Cimini Mountains in central Italy have been studied in order to evaluate the possibility of adding value to this product, both for its excellent taste and as a source of bioactive compounds. Its main characteristic is its complex aroma. The chestnuts are characterized by the presence of almond (7.5) and floral (7) aromas. The high scores in the attributes of flavour (8), crispness (8) and sweetness (7) are worthy of note. The saturated fatty acid fraction was low in Vallerano chestnuts, both with and without pellicle (28% and 27.8% respectively). On the other hand, the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids was high (from 72% to 72.2%). The lipid fraction of chestnuts was mainly composed of linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. The samples showed high antioxidant capacity values of 376.99 μmol TE/g (ABST) and 0.64 mmol Fe2+E/g (FRAP), making them nutritionally valuable. For their high quality and organoleptic features, chestnuts in the area of the Protected Denomination of Origin “Vallerano Chestnut” could be comparable to Marrone chestnuts.