CHARACTERIZATION OF CHEESTNUT SHELL

The outer brownish shell (pericarp) of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) was characterized in terms of chemical composition and fiber morphology. Chestnut fruits were collected from Amasra, Bartin-Türkiye. The cottony structure was removed before the analyses. Main lignocellulose compounds were determined as 45.3% holocellulose, 29.2% α-cellulose, 42.5% Klason lignin, and 3.2% extractives. Analytical results showed that MeOH:Water (95:5 v/v) extract contained 23.8% Fructose, 16% Glucitol, and 11.2% Glucose. Gallic acid was found only 5% in the acetone:water extract. The fiber length, fiber width, lumen width, and fiber wall thickness of the samples were measured as 1.52 mm, 21.67 µm, 14.25 µm, and 3.71 µm, respectively. Chestnut shells, which are morphologically similar to hardwood fibers and contain a high amount of lignin, have significant potential for use as raw materials in different industries.