Enantiomeric composition of filbertone in hazelnuts and hazelnut oils from different geographical origins

Abstract

The potential of enantiomeric analysis of (E)-5-methyl-hept-2-en-4-one (filbertone) for authenticity control of oils is evaluated for a selection of both hazelnuts and hazelnut oils from different geographical origins. The analytical method proposed involves the enantioselective GC analysis of the fraction resulting from the preseparation with HPLC of either a hazelnut extract or a hazelnut oil. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed procedure avoids the partial or total racemization of filbertone and thus allows the reliable determination of its enantiomeric composition. Moreover, the enantiomeric ratio of filbertone is not affected by the cold pressing process of hazelnut oil production and was found to be nearly constant for oils obtained from unroasted hazelnuts of different geographical origins.