Chemical composition of nuts and seeds sold in Korea.
- Author:
Keun Hee CHUNG
1
;
Kyung Ok SHIN
;
Hyo Jeong HWANG
;
Kyung Soon CHOI
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Nut; seed; polyunsaturated fatty acid; iron; zinc
- MeSH: Amino Acids; Arachis; Copper; Cucurbita; Dietary Sucrose; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Helianthus; Iron; Juglans; Korea; Macadamia; Nuts; Pistacia; Seeds; Triticum; Vitamins; Zinc
- From:Nutrition Research and Practice 2013;7(2):82-88
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Eleven types of nuts and seeds were analyzed to determine their energy (326-733 mg), moisture (1.6-18.3 mg), carbohydrate (8.8-70.9 mg), protein (4.9-30.5 mg), lipid (2.5-69.8 mg), and ash (1.2-5.5 mg) contents per 100 g of sample. Energy content was highest in pine nuts (733 mg/100 g), carbohydrate level was highest in dried figs (70.9 mg/100 g) and protein was highest in peanuts (30.5 mg/100 g). The amino acid compositions of nuts and seeds were characterized by the dominance of hydrophobic (range = 1,348.6-10,284.6 mg), hydrophilic (range = 341.1-3,244.3 mg), acidic (range = 956.1-8,426.5 mg), and basic (range = 408.6-4,738.5 mg) amino acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were highest in macadamia nuts (81.3%), whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were highest in the walnuts (76.7%). Macadamia nuts did not contain any vitamin E, whereas sunflower seeds contained the highest level (60.3 mg/kg). Iron (Fe) content was highest in pumpkin seeds (95.85 +/- 33.01 ppm), zinc (Zn) content was highest in pistachios (67.24 +/- 30.25 ppm), copper (Cu) content was greatest in walnuts (25.45 +/- 21.51 ppm), and lead (Pb) content was greatest in wheat nuts (25.49 +/- 4.64 ppm), significantly (P < 0.05). In conclusion, current commercial nuts and seeds have no safety concerns, although further analysis of Pb contents is necessary to ensure safety.
