Nutrition
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 820 kJ (200 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| - Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 1.3 g |
| Protein | 1.6 g |
| Water | 60.21 g |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 1 μg (0%) |
| Thiamine (vit. B1) | 0.144 mg (13%) |
| Riboflavin (vit. B2) | 0.016 mg (1%) |
| Niacin (vit. B3) | 1.102 mg (7%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.352 mg (27%) |
| Folate (vit. B9) | 58 μg (15%) |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 μg (0%) |
| Vitamin C | 40.2 mg (48%) |
| Calcium | 19 mg (2%) |
| Iron | 0.94 mg (7%) |
| Magnesium | 30 mg (8%) |
| Phosphorus | 38 mg (5%) |
| Potassium | 484 mg (10%) |
| Sodium | 2 mg (0%) |
| Zinc | 0.49 mg (5%) |
| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. |
|
Fresh chestnut fruits have about 180 calories (800 kJ) per 100 grams of edible parts, which is much lower than walnuts, almonds, other nuts and dried fruit (about 600 kcal/100 g). Chestnuts, as with all plant foods, contain no cholesterol and contain very little fat, mostly unsaturated, and no gluten.
Their carbohydrate content compares with that of wheat and rice; chestnuts have twice as much starch as the potato. In addition, chestnuts contain about 8 percent of various sugars, mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, and, in less amount, stachyose, and raffinose. In some areas, sweet chestnut trees are called "the bread tree". When chestnuts are just starting to ripen, the fruit is mostly starch and is very firm under finger pressure from the high water content. As the chestnuts ripen, the starch is slowly converted into sugars; and moisture content also starts decreasing. Upon pressing the chestnut, a slight 'give' can be felt; the hull is not so tense, and there is space between it and the flesh of the fruit. The water is being replaced by sugars, which means better conservation.
They are the only "nuts" that contain vitamin C, with about 40 mg per 100 g of raw product, which is about 65 percent of the U.S. recommended daily intake. The amount of vitamin C decreases by about 40 percent after heating. Fresh chestnuts contain about 52 percent water by weight, which will evaporate relatively quickly during storage; they can lose even 1 percent of weight in one day at 20 °C and 70% relative humidity.
Tannin is contained in the bark as well as in the wood, leaves and seed husks. The husks contain 10–13% tannin.
Read more about this topic: Chestnut
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