Abstract
The contents of main components in 45 walnut kernels from 5 walnut-planting provinces in China (Yunnan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Hebei, and Sichuan) were determined using colorimetry, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography, including flavonoids, vitamin E, trace elements, fatty acids, and amino acids. The levels of flavonoids and vitamin E were higher in walnuts from Yunnan than in walnuts from the other four provinces. The levels of zinc and iron were relatively higher in walnuts from Shandong, and the calcium content in walnuts from Yunnan was much lower. No obvious difference was found in crude fat concentration for nuts from the five provinces, but differences were observed in the crude protein content. Oleic acid was the predominant unsaturated fatty acids in all walnut species; the monounsaturated fatty acid content was the highest in walnuts from Yunnan. The data obtained here provided insight into differences in walnuts resulting from different growing environments and germplasm genetic traits.
Highlights
Walnut (Juglans regia) is considered as a high-quality food with human health benefits because walnut kernels are rich in proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients
All chemicals and reagents were of analytical grade or of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (99.9%)/gas chromatography (GC) (>99.5%) grade from Beyotime Co., Ltd (Nantong, China) and Tianjin Chemical Company, Ltd. (Tianjin, China)
E flavonoid concentrations were less than 5% for walnuts species cultivated in the Qinling-Daba Mountains, including Shaanxi and Sichuan. e flavonoid concentrations of walnuts were lower than 5%, in northeastern China along the Yellow River basin, including Hebei and Shandong, than in Shaanxi and Sichuan. e flavonoid concentrations in walnuts from Yunnan were higher than those from the other four provinces, with an average concentration around 6.4%
Summary
Walnut (Juglans regia) is considered as a high-quality food with human health benefits because walnut kernels are rich in proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients. Walnut has important medicinal value and health function in preventing and alleviating cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity [1]. E common walnut (Juglans regia L.) is an economically important species cultivated worldwide for both highquality wood and nuts. The relative scarcity of wide-scale molecular phylogeographic studies of walnut makes it difficult to accurately determine the native geographic range. Starting in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 9 CE), walnuts were cultivated by selecting seedlings from geographically distinct natural populations and spread by trade and military conquest [2, 5]. Many classical studies on the origin of crops in the world explored the original crops in China and proposed that China was one of the largest original centers of agriculture and cultivated plants [6, 7]
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