PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS OF NUTS - HAZELNUTS
Definition
Description
Cultivation -History -Cultivars -Cropping system -Harvesting
Production-Food -Nutrition
In culture -Gallery
7 Ways Hazelnuts Benefit Your Health
Full of Nutrients - Loaded With Antioxidants - May Be Good for the Heart - Linked With Lower Rates of Cancer - Could Decrease Inflammation -May Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels - Easy to Add to Your Diet
Definition
The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus Corylus, especially the nuts of the species Corylus avellana.[1] They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to species.
Hazelnuts are used as a snack food, in baking and desserts, and in breakfast cereals such as muesli. In confectionery, they are used to make praline, and also used in combination with chocolate for chocolate truffles and products such as chocolate bars and hazelnut cocoa spreads such as Nutella. They are also used in Frangelico liqueur.[2] Hazelnut oil, pressed from hazelnuts, is strongly flavored and high in monounsaturated fat. It is used as a cooking oil and as a salad or vegetable dressing.
Turkey is the world's largest producer of hazelnuts, accounting for 64% of total production in 2021.
Description
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A hazelnut cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 millimetres (5⁄8–1 inch) long and 10–15 mm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell, while a filbert is more elongated, being about twice as long as its diameter. The nut falls out of the husk when ripe, about seven to eight months after pollination. The seed is edible and consumed raw, roasted or ground into a paste. The seed has a thin, dark brown skin, which is sometimes removed before cooking.
Cultivation
History
In 1995, evidence of large-scale Mesolithic nut processing, some 8,000 years old, was found in a midden pit on the island of Colonsay in Scotland. The evidence consists of a large, shallow pit full of the remains of hundreds of thousands of burned hazelnut shells. Hazelnuts have been found on other Mesolithic sites, but rarely in such quantities or concentrated in one pit. The nuts were radiocarbon dated to 7720±110 BP, which calibrates to c. 6000 BCE. Similar sites in Britain are known only at Farnham in Surrey and Cass ny Hawin on the Isle of Man
This discovery gives an insight into communal activity and planning in the period. The nuts were harvested in a single year, and pollen analysis suggests that all of the hazel trees were cut down at the same time.
The scale of the activity and the lack of large game on the island suggest that Colonsay may have contained a community with a largely vegetarian diet for the time they spent on the island. Originally, the pit was on a beach close to the shore and was associated with two smaller, stone-lined pits whose function remains obscure, a hearth and a second cluster of pits.[3]
The traditional method to increase nut production is called brutting, which involves prompting more of the tree's energy to go into flower bud production by snapping, but not breaking off, the tips of the new year shoots six or seven leaf groups from where they join with the trunk or branch, at the end of the growing season.[5] The traditional term for an area of cultivated hazelnuts is a plat.
Cultivars
The many cultivars of the hazel include 'Atababa', 'Barcelona', 'Butler', 'Casina', 'Clark', 'Cosford', 'Daviana', 'Delle Langhe', 'England', 'Ennis', 'Halls Giant', 'Jemtegaard', 'Kent Cob', 'Lewis', 'Tokolyi', 'Tonda Gentile', 'Tonda di Giffoni', 'Tonda Romana', 'Wanliss Pride', and 'Willamette'.[6] Some of these are grown for specific qualities of the nut, including large nut size or early or late fruiting, whereas others are grown as pollinators. The majority of commercial hazelnuts are propagated from root sprouts.[6] Some cultivars are of hybrid origin between common hazel and filbert.[7]
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, hazelnuts are sometimes referred to as cobnuts, for which a specific cultivated variety – Kentish cobnuts – is the main variety cultivated in fields known as plats, hand-picked, and eaten green.[8] According to the BBC, a national collection of cobnut varieties exists at Roughway Farm, near Plaxtol in Kent.[9] They are called cobnuts because cob was a word used to refer to the head or "noggin,” and children had a game in which they would tie a string to a hazelnut and use it to try to hit an opponent on the head.
Cropping system
In Europe hazelnuts are traditionally grown as multi-trunk trees where the rootstock is formed by the variety itself. To enhance the possibility for mechanization and to prevent suckering, a single-trunk tree can be formed by grafting a scion of the desired variety on a Corylus colurna rootstock.[11] There are different approaches in orchard floor management. Strong infestations of certain weeds can lower the yield. Therefore, to prevent yield loss by competition, herbicides are used to create bare soil.[12] Using cover crops protects the soil and suppresses weed establishment without a yield reduction.[13]
Silvopastoral systems where animals like pigs[14] are kept in the orchard or silvoarable systems where crops are grown between the rows could introduce new sources of revenue into the hazelnut production and may have beneficial effects on hazelnut yield by fertilizing the soil through nitrogen fixation or animal dung. These systems limit the plant protection measures, potentially impacting the yield quality and level.[15] There are very few studies on these systems, leading to a higher uncertainty for the producer.
Harvesting
Hazelnuts are harvested annually in mid-autumn. As autumn comes to a close, the trees drop their nuts and leaves. Most commercial growers wait for the nuts to drop rather than using equipment to shake them from the tree. The harvesting of hazelnuts is performed either by hand or by manual or mechanical raking of fallen nuts.
Four primary pieces of equipment are used in commercial harvesting: the sweeper, the harvester, the nut cart, and the forklift. The sweeper moves the nuts into the center of the rows, the harvester lifts and separates the nuts from any debris (i.e., twigs and leaves), the nut cart holds the nuts picked up by the harvester, and the forklift brings a tote to offload the nuts from the nut cart and then stacks the totes to be shipped to the processor (nut dryer).
The sweeper is a low-to-the-ground machine that makes two passes in each tree row. It has a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) belt attached to the front that rotates to sweep leaves, nuts, and small twigs from left to right, depositing the material in the center of the row as it drives forward. On the rear of the sweeper is a powerful blower to blow material left into the adjacent row with air speeds up to 90 m/s (300 ft/s). Careful grooming during the year and patient blowing at harvest may eliminate the need for hand raking around the tree trunk, where nuts may accumulate. The sweeper prepares a single center row of nuts, narrow enough for the harvesting tractor to drive over without driving on the center row. It is best to sweep only a few rows ahead of the harvesters at any given time, to prevent the tractor that drives the harvester from crushing the nuts that may still be falling from the trees. Hazelnut orchards may be harvested up to three times during the harvest season, depending on the number of nuts in the trees and the rate of nut drop due to the weather.[16]
| Country | Production in 2021[17] (tonnes) |
|---|---|
 Turkey | 684,000 |
 Italy | 84,670 |
 United States | 70,310 |
 Azerbaijan | 67,630 |
 Georgia | 46,000 |
 Chile | 35,291 |
| World | 1,077,117 |
The harvester is a slow-moving machine pushed by a tractor, which lifts the material off the ground and separates the nuts from the leaves, empty husks, and twigs. As the harvester drives over the rows, a rotating cylinder with hundreds of tines rakes the material onto a belt. The belt takes the material over a blower and under a powerful vacuum that sucks any lightweight soil, leaves from the nuts, and discharges them into the orchard. The remaining nuts are conveyed into a cart pulled behind the harvester. Once a tote is filled with nuts, the forklift hauls away the full totes and brings empty ones back to the harvester to maximize the harvester's time.
Two different timing strategies are used for collecting the fallen nuts. The first is to harvest early when about half of the nuts have fallen. With less material on the ground, the harvester can work faster with less chance of a breakdown. The second option is to wait for all the nuts to fall before harvesting. Although the first option is considered the better of the two,[18] two or three passes do take more time to complete than one.
Production
In 2021, world production of hazelnuts (in shells) was 1.1 million tonnes.[17] The hazelnut production in Turkey accounts for 64% of the world total, followed by Italy, the United States, and Azerbaijan as secondary producers.[17]
Food
Hazelnuts are used in confections to make pralines, chocolate truffles, and hazelnut paste products. The (solid) combination of ground hazelnuts with chocolate is called gianduja.[19] In Austria, hazelnut paste is an ingredient for making tortes, such as Viennese hazelnut torte. In Kyiv cake, hazelnut flour is used to flavor its meringue body, and crushed hazelnuts are sprinkled over its sides. Dacquoise, a French dessert cake, often contains a layer of hazelnut meringue. Hazelnuts are used in Turkish cuisine and Georgian cuisine; the snack churchkhela and sauce satsivi are used, often with walnuts. Hazelnuts are also a common constituent of muesli. The nuts may be eaten fresh or dried, having different flavors.[20]
Nutrition
| Nutritional value per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2,629 kJ (628 kcal) | ||
16.70 g | |||
| Sugars | 4.34 g | ||
| Dietary fiber | 9.7 g | ||
60.75 g | |||
14.95 g | |||
| |||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||
| Water | 5.31 g | ||
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[21] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[22] | |||
Raw hazelnuts are 5% water, 61% fat, 17% carbohydrates, and 15% protein (table).
In a 100-gram (31⁄2-ounce) reference amount, raw hazelnuts supply 2,630 kilojoules (628 kilocalories) of food energy and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of numerous essential nutrients (see table).
Hazelnuts contain particularly high amounts of protein, dietary fiber, vitamin E, iron, thiamin, phosphorus, manganese, and magnesium, all exceeding 30% DV (table). Several B vitamins have appreciable content. In lesser but still significant amounts (moderate content, 10–19% DV) are vitamin K, calcium, zinc, and potassium (table).
Hazelnuts are a rich source of dietary fat, accounting for 93% DV in a 100-gram amount. The fat components are monounsaturated fat as oleic acid (75% of total), polyunsaturated fat mainly as linoleic acid (13% of total), and saturated fat, mainly as palmitic acid and stearic acid (together, 7% of total).
In culture
The hazelnut is used as a literary device by Julian of Norwich (c. 1343 – after 1416) within her mystical Christian treatise Revelations of Divine Love.[23] The hazelnut shell is imagined as a chariot for the fairy Queen Mab within English playwright and poet William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The hazel fruit is also used as a metaphorical device in the poem To Autumn by the English Romantic poet John Keats.
Gallery
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7 Ways Hazelnuts Benefit Your Health
Hazelnuts on their own are good for your heart and full of antioxidants and healthy fats. Those with a nut allergy, however, may experience an allergic reaction upon consumption.
The hazelnut, also known as the filbert, is a type of nut that comes from the Corylus tree. It is mostly cultivated in Turkey, Italy, Spain and the United States.
Hazelnuts have a sweet flavor and can be eaten raw, roasted or ground into a paste.
Like other nuts, hazelnuts are rich in nutrients and have a high content of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. Here are seven evidence-based health benefits of hazelnuts.
1. Full of Nutrients
Hazelnuts have a great nutrient profile. Although they are high in calories, they are loaded with nutrients and healthy fats.
One ounce (28 grams, or about 20 whole kernels) of hazelnuts contains (1):
- Calories: 176
- Total fat: 17 grams
- Protein: 4.2 grams
- Carbs: 4.7 grams
- Fiber: 2.7 grams
- Vitamin E: 21% of the RDI
- Thiamin: 12% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 12% of the RDI
- Copper: 24% of the RDI
- Manganese: 87% of the RDI
Hazelnuts also contain decent amounts of vitamin B6, folate, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.
Additionally, they are a rich source of mono- and polyunsaturated fats and contain a good amount of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, such as oleic acid (1,
Furthermore, a one-ounce serving provides 2.7 grams of dietary fiber, which accounts for about 11% of the DV (1).
However, hazelnuts contain phytic acid, which has been shown to impair the absorption of some minerals, like iron and zinc, from the nuts (
Summary Hazelnuts are a rich source of vitamins and minerals like vitamin
E, manganese and copper. Additionally, they have a high content of omega-6 and
omega-9 fatty acids.
Hazelnuts provide significant amounts of antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect the body from oxidative stress, which can damage cell structure and promote aging, cancer and heart disease (
The most abundant antioxidants in hazelnuts are known as phenolic compounds. They are proven to help decrease blood cholesterol and inflammation. They could also be beneficial for heart health and protecting against cancer (
An 8-week study showed that eating hazelnuts, with or without the skin, significantly decreased oxidative stress compared to not eating hazelnuts, which caused no effects (9).
The majority of the antioxidants present are concentrated in the skin of the nut. However, this antioxidant content could decrease after the roasting process (
Therefore, it is recommended to consume whole, unroasted kernels with the skin rather than peeled kernels, either roasted or unroasted (
Summary Hazelnuts are rich in phenolic compounds that
have been shown to increase antioxidant protection in the body. It is best to
eat hazelnuts whole and unroasted to ensure you get the highest concentration
of antioxidants.
Eating nuts has been shown to protect the heart (
In hazelnuts, the high concentration of antioxidants and healthy fats may increase antioxidant potential and lower cholesterol levels in the blood (
One month-long study observed 21 people with high cholesterol levels who consumed 18–20% of their total daily calorie intake from hazelnuts. The results showed that cholesterol, triglycerides and bad LDL cholesterol levels were reduced (
Participants also experienced improvements to artery health and inflammation markers in the blood.
Moreover, a review of nine studies including over 400 people also saw reductions in bad LDL and total cholesterol levels in those who ate hazelnuts, while good HDL cholesterol and triglycerides remained unchanged (
Other studies have shown similar effects on heart health, with results demonstrating lower blood fat levels and increased vitamin E levels (
Moreover, the high content of fatty acids, dietary fiber, antioxidants, potassium and magnesium in hazelnuts seems to help normalize blood pressure (
In general, eating 29 to 69 grams of hazelnuts per day has been linked to improvements in heart health parameters (
Summary Hazelnuts may increase oxidative capacity and
reduce blood lipid levels, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
They also seem to help normalize blood pressure.
Hazelnuts’ high concentration of antioxidant compounds, vitamins and minerals could give them some anti-cancer properties.
Among other nuts like pecans and pistachios, hazelnuts have the highest concentration of a category of antioxidant known as proanthocyanidins (
Some test-tube and animal studies have shown that proanthocyanidins may help prevent and treat some types of cancers. It is thought that they protect against oxidative stress (
Additionally, hazelnuts are rich in vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant that has exhibited possible protection against cell damage that could cause or promote cancer (
Similarly, hazelnuts provide a whopping 87% the RDI for manganese in a one-ounce serving (1).
Manganese has shown to help the functions of specific enzymes that could reduce oxidative damage and decrease the risk of cancer (
A couple of test-tube studies showed that hazelnut extract could be beneficial in the treatment of cervical, liver, breast and colon cancer (
Furthermore, an animal study using a product made from hazelnut skin extract resulted in a decreased risk of colon cancer after the eight-week study period (
Since most studies investigating the benefits of hazelnuts against cancer development have been done in test tubes and animals, more studies are needed in humans.
Summary The high concentration of antioxidant
compounds, vitamin E and manganese in hazelnuts may help decrease the risk of
certain cancers, though more research is needed.
Hazelnuts have been linked to reduced inflammatory markers, thanks to their high concentrations of healthy fats.
One study investigated how eating hazelnuts affected inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, in 21 people with high cholesterol levels.
The participants experienced significant reductions in inflammation after four weeks of following a diet in which hazelnuts accounted for 18–20% of their total calorie intake (
Moreover, eating 60 grams of hazelnuts every day for 12 weeks helped reduce inflammatory markers in overweight and obese people (
Another study examined how eating hazelnuts affected inflammation. It showed that eating 40 grams of hazelnuts may reduce the inflammatory response in healthy people (
Similarly, 50 people with metabolic syndrome experienced a decrease in inflammation after consuming 30 grams of a combination of raw nuts — 15 grams walnuts, 7.5 grams almonds and 7.5 grams hazelnuts — for 12 weeks, compared to a control group (
However, most studies conclude that eating hazelnuts alone is not enough. In order to reduce inflammation, it is also important to follow a calorie-controlled diet (
Summary Hazelnuts
may help prevent and decrease inflammation due to their high concentrations of
healthy fats. Nevertheless, other factors are also important.
Although not abundant, there is research that hazelnuts may also help reduce blood sugar levels.
One study explored the effect of hazelnuts on fasting blood sugar levels in 48 people with type 2 diabetes. About half consumed hazelnuts as a snack, while the others served as a control group.
After eight weeks, the hazelnut group did not experience significant reductions in fasting blood sugar levels (
However, another study gave a combination of 30 grams of mixed nuts — 15 grams walnuts, 7.5 grams almonds and 7.5 grams hazelnuts — to 50 people with metabolic syndrome.
After 12 weeks, the results showed a significant reduction in fasting insulin levels (
Additionally, oleic acid, which is the main fatty acid in hazelnuts, has been shown to have beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity (
A two-month study showed that a diet rich in oleic acid significantly reduced fasting blood sugar and insulin levels, while increasing insulin sensitivity, in 11 people with type 2 diabetes (
It seems that a diet rich in nuts, including hazelnuts, could help lower your blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity.
SummaryHazelnuts contain several compounds that may help lower blood sugar levels. However, the evidence is limited and their potential benefits need to be studied further.
Hazelnuts can be incorporated into the diet as a healthy snack or as an ingredient in many dishes.
You can purchase and enjoy them raw, roasted, whole, sliced or ground. Interestingly enough, it seems that people prefer sliced and whole hazelnuts rather than ground ones (
While the highest concentration of antioxidants is in the skin, some recipes require you to remove the skin. This can be done by baking the kernels in the oven for about 10 minutes, which makes the skins easy to then peel.
Peeled hazelnuts can be ground to make flour for baking or to make hazelnut butter, a nutritious spread.
Moreover, hazelnuts can also be coated with chocolate or spices, like cinnamon or cayenne, for a sweet or spicy treat.
They also make a great complement to cakes or topping for ice creams and other desserts.
Summary Hazelnuts can be found whole, sliced, ground, raw or roasted. They
are commonly eaten as a snack or added to baked goods and other dishes. It’s
best to eat them with the skin on.
The Bottom Line
Hazelnuts are packed with nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidant compounds and healthy fats.
They may also have health benefits, including helping decrease blood fat levels, regulating blood pressure, reducing inflammation and improving blood sugar levels, among others.
On the downside, just like other nuts, hazelnuts may cause allergic reactions in some people (
All in all, hazelnuts are an excellent and delicious source of nutrients that can be easily incorporated into your diet.
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