Chemical Profile of Cold-Pressed Beech Nut (Fagus sylvatica L.) Oil

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is a preliminary finding of different phytochemicals content. The manuscript might be improved by adding the beneficial effects of these nutraceuticals to our body and other related experimental results. Otherwise, the research is just a compilation of chemical contents unsuitable for publication in a reputed journal.

Author Response

Thank you for your comments:

The main point of the research paper was to do detail chemical analysis, as the oil itself is extremely poorly researched, just one paper ever published on the topic.

Health benefits which could be outlined regarding its composition are explained in lines 226-232 (gondoic acid) and lines 269-272 (tocopherols) with additional comments in Conclusion.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors and editors,

i read with interest this contribution on the composition of nut oil of European beech. The study has enough novelty for publication and experiments are well designed and conducted. The results make a good extension to known compositions of other nut oil samples. Discussion is detailed straight critical and concisely written.

Some remarks:

The biggest "problem" I found is with English language. Please check it with a native Engllish speaker. I just outline some examples, but the whole work needs extensive language revision:

Check the word "moister". I think the authors mean "moisture". Or just write water/moisture content. Moister as I found is the comparative form of "moist".

L17: represent NOT present. 

L102: evaporated to dryness NOT reduced to dry

L129: and by the work of Sieger et al NOT and by work by Sieger et al.

L208: somewhat lower but comparable NOT little less but comparable with

L206 omit ;

Comments on content:

Materials and methods: please follow timeline in sample processing. First collection then storage then analysis. It makes me confused that first you measure oil (L40) then you dry at 60 C and after that you  keep the nuts in dry until oil extraction. This is confusing for me. 

L23: it is OK E. beech can live up to 150-300 yrs in a native forest, but most beech forests are managed by silviculture and usually trees are not kept longer than 100-150 yrs depending on the site conditions, as trees become sick and their financial value degrades (e.g. red heartwood formation, fungal infestation, decay etc.) and also it is not feasible for silviculture to keep beech for 300 years. So most trees wont reach this high age. Please correct this part with relevant references.

L29: it is OK that 4.7% of global oil production equals the amount of beech nut oil present in the world, BUT this is only a theoretical value calculated. If you go out to a beech forest finding the trees that bear nuts a given year and harvesting/collecting is a challenge. The word "theoretical" should be inserted here showing that this is only a calculated value.

L189: you mean the same Codex as above in line 184? If so then please write the complete name again

L284: "plant adaptation to climate": is there any reference proving that cimatic adaptation of beech (which is indeed a crucial question for southern Europe and in locations of xeric limit of beech) influences nut oil composition? If so please cite, if not please omit these words. I fully agree that climatic conditions influence chemical composition (as dicussed in L 241) but adaptation is something more complex and different.  

Comments on the Quality of English Language

English must to be revised!

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.

English language has been fully revised.

Comments on content:

Materials and methods: please follow timeline in sample processing. First collection then storage then analysis. It makes me confused that first you measure oil (L40) then you dry at 60 C and after that you keep the nuts in dry until oil extraction. This is confusing for me.

CORRECTED (lines 43-64)

L23: it is OK E. beech can live up to 150-300 yrs in a native forest, but most beech forests are managed by silviculture and usually trees are not kept longer than 100-150 yrs depending on the site conditions, as trees become sick and their financial value degrades (e.g. red heartwood formation, fungal infestation, decay etc.) and also it is not feasible for silviculture to keep beech for 300 years. So most trees wont reach this high age. Please correct this part with relevant references.

CORRECTED (lines 23-28)

L29: it is OK that 4.7% of global oil production equals the amount of beech nut oil present in the world, BUT this is only a theoretical value calculated. If you go out to a beech forest finding the trees that bear nuts a given year and harvesting/collecting is a challenge. The word "theoretical" should be inserted here showing that this is only a calculated value.

CORRECTED (lines 31-35)

L189: you mean the same Codex as above in line 184? If so then please write the complete name again

CORRECTED (lines 237 and 242-243)

L284: "plant adaptation to climate": is there any reference proving that cimatic adaptation of beech (which is indeed a crucial question for southern Europe and in locations of xeric limit of beech) influences nut oil composition? If so please cite, if not please omit these words. I fully agree that climatic conditions influence chemical composition (as dicussed in L 241) but adaptation is something more complex and different.

CORRECTED (lines 338-343)

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

T think that the manuscript on beech nut oil  may have potential due to the scarce information in literature.

The following are my suggestions:

The manuscript must be totally revised as it does not comply with the format of the journal.

I suggest to improve the introduction and the state of art regarding beech nut oil or similar oils.

I suggest to improve the descritpion of Material and Methods with more details trying to briefly describe also the analysis from ISO methods (e.g., peroxide, free fatty acids, UV).

I suggest to improve the result and discussion with more references that could explain also the potentiality and application of beech nut oil. 

Author Response

Thank you for your comments and suggestions

The manuscript must be totally revised as it does not comply with the format of the journal.

FULLY REVISED

I suggest to improve the introduction and the state of art regarding beech nut oil or similar oils.

IMPROVED – all the latest published papers on beech nut oil are cited

I suggest to improve the descritpion of Material and Methods with more details trying to briefly describe also the analysis from ISO methods (e.g., peroxide, free fatty acids, UV).

CORRECTED (lines 64-108)

I suggest to improve the result and discussion with more references that could explain also the potentiality and application of beech nut oil.

IMPROVED - (lines 271-274, 311-314)

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Some points have been added. Looks alright.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The following manuscript, titled "Chenical profile of cold pressed beech nut (Fagus sylvatica L.)" explores a relatively underexplored topic in literature, providing a valuable contribution to the alternative research on sourcing high-quality oils. I agree to submit the work.