Volatile aroma component of natural and roasted hazelnut varieties using solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Hazelnut is a very important nutrient in terms of human health. It is widely consumed as natural and roasted. Aromatic components could be used as marker for export criteria in hazelnut. Thus, this study aimed preliminary to compare the aroma profile of some hazelnut varieties and to determine the effect of roasting on aroma component in natural hazelnuts. Hazelnut varieties (18 Turkish and 2 foreign varieties) were obtained and then roasted at 135°C for 30 min. The volatile aroma components of hazelnuts were characterized via solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS). A total of 20 and 29 aroma compounds were detected by SPME/GC-MS in natural and roasted hazelnuts, respectively. Concerning natural hazelnut samples, the highest values among the Turkish and foreign varieties were obtained from nonanal in ‛Kalınkara’, ‛Kan’ and ‛Negret-N9’, which are mainly characterized by citrus, rosy, fatty flavor. In roasted samples, 2(3H)-furanone was determined in highest level in ‛Cavcava’, ‛Mincane’ and ‛Negret-N9’ and the flavor attributes of these varieties were oily-nut-like. In particular, Turkish hazelnut varieties such as ‛Acı’ and ‛Kalınkara’ could be promising in terms of the highest amount of aromatic components in roasted hazelnuts.