Effect of different packaging materials and storage on lipid characteristics, oxidative stability and antioxidant properties of hazelnut

Choosing the right packaging material is of great importance as it has a great impact on the shelf life of foods. This study was carried out to determine the lipid characteristics, oil oxidation level and bioactive properties of hazelnut varieties (Tombul, Kara) stored for 1 year with jute (JP) and poly-propylene fabric weaving (PP) packaging materials under ambient conditions (average temperature, humidity; 16.7 °C, 74.4%). We observed a proportional decrease in oil content due to the increase in humidity during storage. Oleic, palmitic, saturated-fatty acids (SFA) and mono-unsaturated fatty acids decreased while linoleic acid and polyunsaturated-fatty acids (PUFA) increased. Over time, the amount of β-sitosterol, campesterol, total-sterol, α-tocopherol, total-tocopherol, carotenoid decreased due to oxidation. On the other hand, shortening of shelf life can be expected due to the increase in water activity, peroxide value, free-fatty acidity, unsaturated-fatty acids/SFA, PUFA/SFA, iodine value, decrease in oleic/linoleic and stability index. A common model could not be found because the packaging material effect behaves differently according to the varieties. However, PP maintained total phenolic better by 15.78% and 7.79% in Tombul and Kara, respectively. In general, it was determined that the storage time affected the investigated parameters, and it was observed that PP, whose use has increased in recent years, and JP, which is the traditional packaging materials, provide similar protection. As a result, in terms of the parameters examined, it was determined that it would be appropriate to use both packaging materials for the storage of hazelnuts for 1 year under the manufacturer’s conditions.