The Study On Nutritional Characteristics Of Pecan Product From Lin’an

Pecan is a unique woody oil crop in China. This crop produces crisp and delicious nuts withimmense nutritional values and which provide several applications in nutrition, health care,hairdressing, and medicine. The main production areas are in the border of Zhejiang and Anhui, thatis, the western area, with the center region being Changhua District in Lin’an. With the increase inplanting areas and productivity each year, pecan income plays an increasingly important role in theproportion of household income.Previous studies of pecan in China have focused on its ecological habitat, distribution, growth, andhigh-yield cultivation measures, among others. However, studies on the nutritional characteristics ofpecan are few. This article aims to determine whether each nutrient content in pecan is significantlyaltered under different processing methods. The core nutrients, functional ingredients, minerals,amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutritional indicators in pecans from Lin’an were analyzed toverify their quality compared with those from other regions by analysis of variance. Moreover, thenutrient contents of pecans were determined to provide consumers with a nutritional guide. Anobjective analysis evaluating the different origins of and the processing methods used in pecanscould provide a reliable basis for the product.Results of the research showed that Lin’an pecans are high in nutritional contents with the followingrange of values: proteins (7.1%to9.1%), fats (57.9%to67.4%), total phenolic compounds (0.86%to2.90%), flavonoids (0.31%to0.77%), dietary fiber (7.1%to7.7%), and lecithin (4.92%to6.29%).Lin’an pecans are also rich in zinc, with content values reaching more than50μg/g, which is fivetimes more than those in other plant-based foods. Unsaturated fatty acid content is322.5mg/g to447.5mg/g, total amino acid content is91.69mg/g to111.90mg/g, and the total amount of essentialamino acids is between27.40mg/g and36.02mg/g. Under different processing methods, the energyand fat contents of raw pecans are lower than pepper sauce and butter pecans. The protein contentsof the three kinds of pecans have no significant difference, whereas sodium content exhibitssignificant differences. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of raw pecans are higher than those ofpepper sauce and butter pecans, whereas dietary fiber and lecithin contents are lower compared withthose of pepper sauce and butter pecans. Functional component contents exhibit no significantdifference among the three kinds of pecans. Iron and other mineral contents, as well as saturated fatty acid contents, also exhibit no significant difference among the three products. The unsaturatedfatty acid content of raw pecans is less than those of pepper sauce and butter pecans. Total aminoacid and total essential amino acid contents of raw pecans are higher than those of pepper sauce andbutter pecans. In addition, arginine and phenylalanine contents exhibit significant differences,whereas other amino acids present no significant difference.The contents of the core nutrients of the three pecan products, except for sodium and otheringredients, as well as the contents of their functional components, do not exhibit any significantdifference. Mineral composition, including iron and calcium, also exhibits no significant difference.In terms of palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, and linolenic acid contents, those of Daoshishan pecansare different from those of Changhua and Henglu pecans, although no significant difference is foundin the composition of other fatty acids. The amounts of walnut total amino acids and essential totalamino acids are also significantly different in Daoshishan pecans compared with Changhua andHenglu pecans, whereas no apparent difference in the amounts of these components is foundbetween Changhua and Henglu pecans.