Healthy Hazelnut Oil

Background

Hazelnuts have found their way into more non-traditional foods due to the recognition of its nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Among nut species, hazelnuts play a major role in human nutrition and health because of its special composition of fatty acids ( mainly oleic acid), fat soluble bioactives ( tocopherols and phytosterols), vitamins (vitamin E), minerals, amino acids, antioxidant phenolics and dietary fibre. Hazelnuts provide an excellent source of energy (631 kCal/100g) due to its high oil content (~61%). Besides nutritional value, the presence of taste-active components together with aroma-active components can improve the taste and flavour of hazelnut-based products.

The presence of palmitoleic acid allows hazelnut oil to be absorbed quickly into the skin as well as acting as a solar UV filter, thus making it an excellent carrier oil and ingredient in skin preparations.

Elevated serum cholesterol level is a well-known risk factor for coronary heart disease and is a leading cause of mortality in many countries around the world. Monounsaturated fatty acids which are in large quantities in hazelnut oil, are known to decrease the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart disease. Research has demonstrated that hazelnut supplementation (40g) in the diet results in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol Apo B and homosistein reduction of up to 5.3, 2.6, 22.4, 5.3, 0.3, 10.4, and 7.8% respectively. Furthermore, hazelnuts in the diet increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and Apo A by 13.9 and 0.3% respectively.  

F.Shahidi,  Dept. of Biochemistry, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland, and C. Alasalvar, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, United Kingdom.  

Local Research – Hazelnut Oil Composition and Comparisons

The quality of cold pressed hazelnut oil extracted from a mixture of Merville de Bollwiller, Ennis, and Butler hazelnuts was determined by measuring lipid classes, and fatty acids. The oil was tested at Hort. Research in Auckland during September of 2004. The reasons for having our oil tested were:

·                    To be able to give more accurate information about our own products to our customers.

·                    To make a comparison of the fresh hazelnut oil from nuts grown and pressed in New Zealand with hazelnut oil from other parts of  the world.

·                    To compare the fatty acids that make up hazelnut oil with virgin olive oil.

The total lipid content, by weight, of the hazelnuts being tested was 48.3%. This is slightly lower than the actual figure due to some oil loss within the extraction equipment. Seven fatty acids were identified by chromatography, among which oleic acid contributed 77.839% to the total,

 

Fatty Acid

Class

Hazelnut Oil Sample Tested

(Oil %)

Comparison with Virgin Olive Oil

(Oil %)

International Norm for Hazelnut Oil

Oil (%)

16:0 (palmitic acid)

Saturated

4.614

10.930

4-9

16:1 (palmitoleic acid)

Unsaturated

0.143

1.158

Max 0.3

18:0 (stearic acid)

Saturated

2.203

1.981

1-4

18:1 (oleic acid)

(Omega-9)

Unsaturated

77.839

72.294

70-85

18:2 (linoleic acid)

(Omega-6)

Unsaturated

14.925

9.211

7-25

18:3 (linolenic acid) (Omega-3)

Unsaturated

0.143

.793

Max 0.6

20:1 (gadoleic acid)

Unsaturated

0.133

.313

Max 0.3

 

 

TOTAL = 100%

TOTAL = 96.68%

 

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