Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) skin, a by-product of hazelnut industry, possesses oil with high oxidative and thermal stabilities

Due to its high antioxidant capacity, hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) skin oil has recently gained great attention. However, its thermal and oxidative characteristics have not been elucidated yet. Here, we determined the thermal and oxidative properties, antioxidant activity and fatty acid composition of hazelnut skin oil (HSO) using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), spectrophotometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, respectively, and compared those with the oils from natural and roasted hazelnuts. HSO was found to have significantly higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acid, compared with oils from natural and roasted hazelnut. HSO had the lowest melting point. Moreover, HSO revealed higher oxidative stability, which can be attributed to its greater antioxidant capacity. These findings indicate that hazelnut skin, a by-product of hazelnut industry, has potential to be utilised in hazelnut oil industry to produce oil possessing high oxidative and thermal stability.