Therapeutic Potential of Chocolate Coated Chinese Chestnut (A Nut Cum Fruit)

*Sunita Mishra, Gunjan Gupta and M.A. Firdaus*

#### **Abstract**

Castanea mollissima, usually known as Chinese chestnut tree, is a medium-tall tree with glossy, dark green leaves. The tree produces edible and delicious nuts called chestnuts or Chinese chestnuts. Since many years, China has loomed as one of the largest bowls of Chinese chestnut in the world. Although the consumption of chestnut has increased in India too in the states like Uttarakhand which shares border with China. Chestnuts are a rich source of health-promoting nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, etc. They got dark browny shells and shiny spiral husk which is to be broken before eating. Castanea mollisima aids in the development of muscle and the prevention of dental issues like pyorrhea. The leafy portions of the nut are used to treat fevers, relieve persistent coughs and respiratory conditions, and protect blood vessels and capillaries from injury and swelling. In order to analyse the nutritional content, organoleptic qualities, and microbiological quality of Chinese chestnut after coating with dark chocolate, this study will examine the therapeutic potential of Chinese chestnut, making it an innovative and great choice to consume for people of all ages.

**Keywords:** Chinese chestnut, nutritional value, organoleptic properties, microbiological quality, therapeutic potential

### **1. Introduction**

Chestnuts are members of the Fagaceae family. The majority of chestnut trees are found in North America, South Europe, and Easter and Southwest Asia. Among all species of chestnut, the yearly production of the Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) is around 925,000 t, as compared to 108,000 t for the European chestnut (C. sativa Miller) and 55,800 t for the North American and South American chestnut (C. dentata Borkh) [1–3]. The Yan Mountain region in Northern China has the low temperatures and altitudes above 500 m that are ideal for Chinese chestnut production. Chestnuts are a great source of lot of nutritional content. According to Yang et al. [4], fresh Chinese chestnut fruits contain 52.0% water, 42.2% carbohydrates, 4.2% proteins, and 0.7% lipids, whereas Spanish chestnuts contain 42.2–59.8% starch, 9.5–22.2% total sugar,

**Figure 1.** *Chinese chestnuts.*

4.8–6.9% crude protein, and 1.7–40% dry matter, depending on the cultivar and region [5]. According to the ancient encyclopedia, China Compendium of Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gang Mu) from the Ming Dynasty, Chinese chestnut fruits aid in enhancing kidney function (A.D. 1590). According to numerous health studies, chestnut fruits and possibly other extracts from chestnut trees offer a lot of potential as functional foods or food additives [1, 3]. The Chinese Chestnut (**Figure 1**), also scientifically called as C. mollissima (mollissima is Latin word for "soft"), is primarily grown in East Asia but is also indigenous to places like Taiwan and Korea. The abundant pubescence on the abaxial sides of its leaves and buds is how it got its name.

This study aims to evaluate the nutritional content, microbiological quality, and organoleptic qualities of dark chocolate-coated chestnut, making it a novel food option for consumers of all ages.
