Chemical composition of hazelnuts (Corylus avellanaL.) grown in New Zealand

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) samples were collected from all replications of six different cultivars of trees grown in an experimental orchard at Lincoln University. Five cultivars were originally imported from overseas, three from the USA and two from Europe, and one cultivar was selected locally. Representative samples of nuts were harvested from 12-year-old trees in autumn 1995. The total oil content of the hazelnuts ranged from 54.6 to 63.2% while the crude protein ranged from 14.3 to 18.2%. Dietary fibre ranged from 9.8 to 13.2% while the starch and free glucose content together made up no more than 5% of the remaining portion of the kernel. The amino acid content of the hazelnuts was similar between each cultivar and the pattern of essential amino acids was characteristic of a high quality protein.