Fruit and Cold-Pressed Oil Characteristics of Some Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Cultivars

This study examines the morphometric (fruit dimensions and weight, kernel weight, and yield) and sensory (color of the shell, surface texture of the shell, breakage of the shell, color of the kernel, fullness of the kernel, and ease of kernel removal) characteristics of fruit, as well as coldpressed oil content and sensory characteristics (color, smell, and taste) of eight walnut cultivars (‘Chandler’, ‘Pieral Lara’, ‘Tulare’, ‘Champion’, ‘Rasna’, ‘Cheinovo’, ‘Geisenheim 139’, and ‘Ov – čar’) in the Stalać region. Significant variability was observed among the cultivars regarding the investigated fruit morphometric parameters and oil content. Cultivars such as ‘Champion’, ‘Pieral Lara’, and ‘Tulare’ exhibited the highest fruit weights (15.13 g, 15.02 g, and 14.54 g, respectively). Additionally, the ‘Tulare’ cultivar exhibited the highest kernel weight (7.81 g) and kernel yield (53.88%), while ‘Geisenheim 139’ had the highest oil content (68.17%). Based on the results of the sensory analysis, the cold-pressed oils of the investigated walnut cultivars were categorized into the following quality groups: i) oils of medium quality (‘Rasna’ and ‘Cheinovo’); ii) oils of good quality (‘Tulare’, ‘Geisenheim 139’, and ‘Ovčar’); iii) oils of excellent quality (‘Chandler’, ‘Pieral Lara’, and ‘Champion’). These findings highlight the potential for optimizing walnut production through the selection of cultivars with desirable traits, contributing to improved yields and high-quality oil production.