The phenolic profile of different chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) accessions in different locations in Slovenia

The European chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is a member of the genus Castanea. Chestnuts are consumed throughout Europe, America, and Asia. Fresh chestnut fruit are rarely consumed raw, but are processed in various ways to improve their organoleptic properties (flavour, aroma, texture), fruit digestibility (making nutrients more bioavailable), and shelf life. The chestnut is geographically distributed in three major areas. In Europe with Castanea sativa Mill., in Asia with Castanea crenata Siebold & Zucc. and Castanea mollissima Blume, and in North America with Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. The European chestnut probably originated in the eastern Mediterranean, later spreading throughout Europe, including present-day Slovenia. Although Slovenia is a small country, it has great natural climatic differences: There is a sub-Mediterranean, a temperate continental and an alpine climate, and in all these climatic zones the chestnut grows. The different climatic conditions (solar radiation, precipitation, temperatures, etc.) also affect the phenolic composition and profile of the chestnuts themselves, thus influencing their taste and health benefits. Our objective was therefore to sample different chestnut accessions throughout Slovenia to determine whether or not chestnuts grown at different sites have different phenolic profiles and whether or not there is a relationship between the different accessions at a site. The aim was also to investigate whether and how the different locations, and thus the different climate, influence the phenolic composition of wild chestnut accessions and thus their taste.