2.1. Chestnut Samples

The chestnut used in this study are from the variety Castanea sativa, cultivars Martainha, Longal, and Judia, which are some of the Portuguese cultivars with the highest expression in the country. Because of the importance of these varieties, they have been investigated to preserve their genetics and to promote these varieties for production and commercialization. Figure 1 shows the physical characteristics of varieties used and Table 1 presents their nutritional value.

Chestnut cultivars native from Portugal used in the study [14].

Nutritional characterization of the regional cultivars of chestnut [14].

* Values expressed as mean value ± standard deviation per 100 g of dry matter.

The chestnuts used in the study were used in the dehydrated form known as “castanha pilada” in Portugal (Figure 2), which allows them to be preserved for use year-round. To obtain the dehydrated chestnuts, the shell and the inner skin were removed and then, drying occurred in a convective chamber (ventilated WTB-Binder) at 60 °C, with an air flow of 1 m/s for 48 h. The drying occurred in thin layer, with a load of 500 g per tray, arranged in a single layer of chestnuts over each of the four trays inside the dryer.

Dehydrate chestnut-“castanha pilada”.