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Chestnut
Sweet & rich· nut

What it is
Chestnut is the starchy nut of Castanea species, trees native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
What it tastes like
On the nose: phenolic, buttery, apple, fatty. Among its measured molecules: 2-n-butylfuran, 2-pentanone, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, p-cresol, ethyl isovalerate.
What goes with it
- Asian pearboth carry acetoin, butterycite
- Almondboth carry 3-methylbutanal, applecite
- Dateboth carry acetoin, butterycite
Salt and acid
Salt
0 mgAsian pear10 mgCinnamon100 mgFennel seed1,000 mgOlive10,000 mgFish sauce
Sodium 3 mg per 100 g — the library's own composition sheet.
Acid
Acid not measured yet.
17 of 126 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.
acetoinaromaketonereads as buttery odor (PubChem)Measured in 16 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.34; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds; steamed chestnuts were 'characterized by compounds such as 3-hydroxy-2-butanone... which contribute milky, sweet, fruity, floral, and fatty notes' — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract; also the steamed-chestnut characteristic-compound sentence)benzaldehydearomaaldehydereads as burning aromatic taste (PubChem)Measured in 54 of 338 ingredients.cite
named among 'primary volatiles in stir-fried, sugar-stir-fried, and baked chestnuts... known contributors to fruity aromas'; no individual figure given in the article text — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, discussion of stir-fried/sugar-stir-fried/baked chestnut volatiles)ethanolaromaalcoholreads as burning (PubChem)Measured in 19 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.7, the second-highest of the 12 VIP-scored compounds — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph)phenylacetaldehydearomaaldehydeMeasured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
named as 'benzeneacetaldehyde' among 'primary volatiles in stir-fried, sugar-stir-fried, and baked chestnuts' — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, discussion of stir-fried/sugar-stir-fried/baked chestnut volatiles)p-cresolaromaphenolreads as phenolic odor (PubChem)Measured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
named among 'primary volatiles in stir-fried, sugar-stir-fried, and baked chestnuts', grouped with benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, hexanal and 2-hexenal — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, discussion of stir-fried/sugar-stir-fried/baked chestnut volatiles)hexanalaromaaldehydereads as sharp, aldehyde odor (PubChem)Measured in 85 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.62; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds; also named among 'primary volatiles in stir-fried, sugar-stir-fried, and baked chestnuts... known contributors to fruity aromas' — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)2-pentanonearomaketoneMeasured in 4 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.37; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)ethyl isovaleratearomaesterMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.03, the lowest of the 12 VIP>1 compounds; also one of the 8 key olfactory compounds — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)2-heptanonearomaketonereads as pear-like flavor (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 338 ingredients.cite
1-hexanolaromaalcoholreads as fatty, fruity (PubChem)Measured in 48 of 338 ingredients.cite
2-methyl-1-butanolaromaalcoholMeasured in 15 of 338 ingredients.cite
named as '2-methylbutanol', characteristic of steamed chestnuts along with 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol and isovaleraldehyde — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, steamed-chestnut characteristic-compound sentence)ethyl acetatearomaesterreads as fragrant odor (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.53; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)3-methylbutanalaromaaldehydereads as apple-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.57; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)3-methyl-3-buten-1-olaromaalcoholMeasured in 4 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.11; also named for steamed chestnuts alongside 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, isovaleraldehyde and 2-methylbutanol — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; also the steamed-chestnut characteristic-compound sentence)2-amylfuranaromafuranMeasured in 23 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.92, the highest of the 12 compounds with VIP > 1 reported for discriminating chestnuts by cooking method; also one of only 8 compounds identified as key in the olfactory (odor) analysis — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; also named among the 8 'key' compounds in the Abstract)2-n-butylfuranaromafuranMeasured in 3 of 338 ingredients.cite
named among heptanol, octanol, amyl alcohol, 2-heptanone, nonanal, 2-ethylhexanol and 2-pentylfuran as compounds imparting 'fresh, fruity, fatty, and earthy aromas'; paper notes 2-butylfuran and 2-pentylfuran are 'typically generated via the Maillard reaction' — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, discussion of a cluster of compounds diverging in one PCA region)2-HexenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 31 of 338 ingredients.cite
VIP = 1.53; one of the 8 key olfactory compounds; also grouped with hexanal among 'primary volatiles in stir-fried, sugar-stir-fried, and baked chestnuts' — Song et al. 2025, Foods (Results, PLS-DA VIP-score paragraph; Abstract)
On file, no cited source yet ✳
These molecules are on record for it from the library's earlier sources. We are buying and requesting the papers; each one that lands moves its molecule up into the cited list.
- NSFIWSANZNJXLP-XDSCYBHUSA-Nphenol
- Roburin Ephenol
- roburin Aphenol
- Roburin Bphenol
- Roburin Cphenol
- Roburin Dphenol
- orcinolphenol
- flavonolflavonoid
- γ-aminobutyric acidacid
- L-lysineacid
- castalaginphenol
- Quercetin 3-allosideflavonoid
- 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-3-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-[[(2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-oneflavonoid
- Kurigalinphenol
- 4-hydroxybenzoic acidacid
- creatinine tautomernitrogen compound
- 2,3,4,6-Tetragalloyl-D-glucopyranosephenol
- [(2R,3S,4R,5R,6S)-6-[5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]methyl (E)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateflavonoid
- L-aspartic acidacidreads as sour (PubChem)
- (2S)-5-hydroxy-2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-7-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-[[(2R,3S,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxan-2-yl]oxy-2,3-dihydrochromen-4-oneflavonoid
- [(2R,3R,4R)-4-formyl-2,3-dihydroxy-4,5-bis[(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoyl)oxy]pentyl] 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoatephenol
- MMQXBTULXAEKQE-NZBJDVEGSA-Nphenol
- UDYKDZHZAKSYCO-WETOHNLWSA-Nphenol
- MMQXBTULXAEKQE-ZMCFAECESA-Nphenol
- CID 16132408phenol
- CID 16167197phenol
- BMTRLZLCNOUQLK-NLNQAKQVSA-Nphenol
- [6-[5,7-Dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl)oxyoxan-2-yl]methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateflavonoid
- [3,4,5-Trihydroxy-6-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenoxy)oxan-2-yl]methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate
- [(2S,3S,4S,5S,6S)-2-[5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-4,5-dihydroxy-6-[[(2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxan-3-yl] (E)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateflavonoid
- HGJXAVROWQLCTP-XPTZUXAQSA-Nphenol
- (5-formyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methyl 4-hydroxybutanoatenitrogen compound
- [(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-4,5-dihydroxy-6-[[(2R,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxymethyl]oxan-3-yl] (E)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateflavonoid
- D-Ribose, 2-C-(hydroxymethyl)-, 5-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate)phenol
- L-lysineacid
- Chlorogenic acidphenol
- L-arginineacid
- L-glutamic acidacidreads as umami sour taste (PubChem)
- salicylic acidacid
- gallic acidacid
- 4-hydroxybenzoic acidphenol
- .beta-Penta-O-galloyl-D-glucosephenol
- (1S,2R,4aS,6aR,6aS,6bR,8aS,10S,12aR,14bR)-10-hydroxy-1,2,6a,6b,9,9,12a-heptamethyl-2,3,4,5,6,6a,7,8,8a,10,11,12,13,14b-tetradecahydro-1H-picene-4a-carboxylic acidterpenoid
- L-glutamic acidacid
- L-aspartic acidacid
- grandininphenol
- Isorhamnetin 3-glucosideflavonoid
- quercetinflavonoid
- apigeninflavonoid
- rutinflavonoid
- kaempferolflavonoid
- genkwaninflavonoid
- ellagic acidphenol
- Astragalinflavonoid
- Helichrysosideflavonoid
- β-pedunculaginphenol
- tilirosideflavonoid
- narcissinflavonoid
- L-Cysteineacid
- creatinine tautomernitrogen compound
- L-alanineacidreads as sweet taste (PubChem)
- L-serineacidreads as sweet (PubChem)
- L-glutamineacid
- L-lysineacidreads as sweet/bitter (PubChem)
- UDYKDZHZAKSYCO-UOYZIOMNSA-Nphenol
- L-tyrosineacid
- L-leucineacid
- L-methionineacidreads as faint (PubChem)
- phenylalanineacidreads as bitter (PubChem)
- Narcissinsugar
- L-ornithineacid
- L-Asparagineacid
- L-histidineacidreads as sweet (PubChem)
- L-valineacid
- L-threonineacid
- tryptophanacidreads as flat taste (PubChem)
- L-isoleucineacidreads as bitter (PubChem)
- L-arginineacid
- L-Cysteineacid
- N-methyl-L-prolinenitrogen compound
- L-serineacid
- tryptophanacid
- phenylalanineacid
- L-tyrosineacid
- N-methyl-L-prolineacid
- L-histidineacid
- L-valineacid
- L-threonineacid
- L-methionineacid
- L-Asparagineacid
- γ-aminobutyric acidacid
- L-isoleucineacid
- L-leucineacid
- (1R,3aS,5aR,5bR,7aR,9S,11aR,11bS,13aR,13bS)-3a-(hydroxymethyl)-5a,5b,8,8,11a-pentamethyl-1-prop-1-en-2-yl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,7a,9,10,11,11b,12,13,13a,13b-hexadecahydrocyclopenta[a]chrysen-9-olterpenoid
- L-lysineacid
- [6-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateflavonoid
- L-alanineacid
- 3-hydroxybenzoic acidacid
- glycineacidreads as sweet (PubChem)
- vanillic acidacid
- Castacrenin Cphenol
- Castacrenin Bphenol
- Castacrenin Aphenol
- L-valineacid
- L-ornithineacid
- L-glutamic acidacid
- (+)-catechinflavonoid
- (1R,2S,24S,25R,29R)-7,8,9,12,13,14,17,18,19,25,29-undecahydroxy-24-(hydroxymethyl)-3,23,26-trioxahexacyclo[13.10.3.12,6.05,10.011,28.016,21]nonacosa-5(10),6,8,11,13,15(28),16,18,20-nonaene-4,22,27-trionephenol
- 1-Desgalloyleugeniinphenol
Sources
- Song et al. 2025, Foods