Chestnut

Origin

The chestnut belongs to the same family of the oak and beech. The four main species are commonly known as European, Chinese, Japanese and American chestnuts.

Unsaturated fat

The two-thirds of chestnuts lipids are unsaturated and among those half of them are monounsaturated (oleic acid), and half of them are polyunsaturated (linoleic acid).

Carbohydrates

Chestnuts are especially rich in carbohydrates with slow assimilation, which makes them an excellent source of energy. The composition of the carbohydrates is unique: 2/3 are starch and 1/3 is saccarose. They contain also a small amount of dextrines (complex sugars) and traces of fructose, glucose and rafinose, the latter one being a type of sugar typical of grains.

Fibres

The amount of fibre is 5 g per 100 g. This fibre content makes them a low glycemic index food

Minerals

The total supply of minerals exceeds 1,2 g per 100 g. For their remarkable content of potassium, chestnuts represent an excellent aliment concerning potassium intake. Chestnuts stand out for their content of magnesium, and to a lesser degree, of calcium and iron. Moreover, chestnuts provide numerous oligo-elements like manganese, copper, zinc, selenium and iodine.

Vitamins

The chestnuts vitamins’ composition is similar to other vegetal aliments like tubers. It is worth mentioning that chestnuts contain numerous vitamins B, in particular, B1, B2, B3, B5, and B9. The content of vitamin C varies between 50 mg per 100 g for chestnuts just collected, and between 25 mg and 30 mg later on.