Physical characteristics and sensory analysis of American hazelnuts in comparison to Tonda di Giffoni

Abstract

American hazelnut (Corylus americana) is a promising oilseed and nut crop. Currently, international demand for hazelnuts is supplied with European hazelnut (Corylus avellana) grown in many countries, with Turkey producing the majority. In order for American hazelnut to be a competitive crop, the flavor and processing characteristics have to be as good as or better than its competitors. The objective of this study was to compare the physical characteristics and flavor of the nutmeat of American hazelnut selections to a high-quality European hazelnut processing variety: Tonda di Giffoni. Hazelnuts were collected from 11 American hazelnut selections growing in wild conditions and Tonda di Giffoni was sourced from a cultivated population. The hazelnuts were measured for physical characteristics (including size, sphericity and density) and flavor parameters were screened using the Spectrum® method. Overall, several selections were as good as Tonda di Giffoni for the majority of flavor and processing characteristics. The main problems with these American hazelnut selections were smaller size (average 0.31 g compared to 1.38 g for Tonda di Giffoni) and a very mild soapy/cleaner flavor for 7 out of the 11 selections (the highest level was only 0.9 on a 0–15 scale). Sphericity for 6 of the selections was not different from Tonda di Giffoni and generally were higher than the published values for sphericity of other cultivars. Overall, American hazelnut has a great deal of potential as an oilseed and nut crop.