ABSTRACT
Unlike the common walnut, there is virtually no information available in peer-reviewed literature about the nutritional composition and value of heartnut. The polyphenolic and lipid compositions of the heartnut and how they contribute to the total antioxidant activities have been recently reported [2,3]. This chapter provides a more comprehensive overview about this special tree nut and its potential as a healthy food for consumers and a value-added new crop for growers. Due to lack of information about heartnut, literature reviews on the nutritional composition will mainly be on the common walnut. Furthermore, we will focus our discussions on the phenolic, tocopherol, and fatty acid contents and their contribution to human health through cholesterol reduction and antioxidative properties.
