Compositional and Sensory Comparisons between Normal- and High-Oleic Peanuts THOMAS G. ISLEIB, ² HAROLD E. PATTEE,* ,‡ TIMOTHY H. SANDERS, § KEITH W. HENDRIX, § AND LISA O. DEAN § Department of Crop Science, Box 7629, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7629; Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Box 7625, North Carolin State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7625; and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Box 7624, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7624 The high-oleic-acid trait improves the oxidative stability of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) and their products. The explicit effect of the trait on sensory quality, particularly on off-flavors associated with oil rancidity, has not been well documented. To assess the effect of the trait on off-flavors, data from two independent databases were analyzed to compare sensory quality and composition in normal- versus high-oleic peanut genotypes. In data collected using a sensory panel in the Department of Food Science at North Carolina State University, there were small differences between near-isogenic lines for intensities of the roasted peanut, astringent, over-roast, and nutty attributes, with the high- oleic lines exhibiting slightly greater intensities of those attributes. There were no differences for off-flavors such as fruity, painty, stale, moldy, or petroleum. In data collected from the multistate Uniform Peanut Performance Test and evaluated by a panel in the USDA-ARS Market Quality and Handling Research Unit (MQHRU) at Raleigh, NC, there were differences in chemical composition associated with the high-oleic trait, including differences in oil content, tocopherols, and carbohydrates in addition to the expected differences in fatty acid contents. There were small decreases in the intensities of the sensory attributes cardboard and painty associated with the high-oleic trait in the MQHRU data when all high-oleic lines were compared with all normal-oleic lines. Comparison of the near-isogenic pair NC 7 and N00090ol showed differences in oil and glucose contents, but not in sensory attributes. The high-oleic trait does not appear to have a major impact on sensory quality on average, although there were individual instances in which the trait was associated with shifts in sensory attribute intensities that may be perceptible to consumers. KEYWORDS: Arachis hypogaea L.; flavor; fatty acids; chemical composition INTRODUCTION The beneficial effect on the oxidative stability of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) products resulting from elevated levels of oleic fatty acid in the seed oil has been well documented (1-5). As peanut cultivars with elevated oleic acid levels have become available to processors, questions have arisen regarding their composition and sensory quality, particularly off-flavors such as the fruity/fermented sensory attribute. There have been comparisons of normal- and high-oleic lines with regard to some sensory attributes. Pattee and Knauft (6) found some significant differences among four high-oleic lines, Florunner, and NC 7 for only the roasted peanut sensory attribute. In that study, all of the high-oleic lines were derived by backcrossing the Florida high-oleic gene (7-9). In a study on the effect of the high- oleic trait on intensities of the roasted peanut, sweet, bitter, and astringent sensory attributes (10) near-isogenic pairs of normal- and high-oleic lines were grown at specific locations. In most cases, the high-oleic member of the pair was developed by backcrossing the Florida high-oleic gene into an existing cultivar. The high-oleic trait had a positive effect on the intensity of the roasted peanut attribute, increasing it by 0.3 flavor intensity unit (fiu) averaged across seven background genotypes. Although the magnitude of improvement varied across back- ground genotypes, the trait was never associated with a reduction in roasted peanut intensity. The increase was greatest in Tamrun 96 and Spanish genotypes Tamspan 90 and F435. Interaction between oleate level and background genotype was detected for sweet and bitter attributes. The trait had an increasing effect on the bitter attribute only in the background genotype of Tamspan 90. There was a nonsignificant increase in bitterness in the other Spanish background genotype, F435. Changes in * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed [telephone (919) 515-6745; fax (919) 515-7760; e-mail harold_pattee@ncsu.edu]. ² Department of Crop Science. ‡ Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. § Market Quality and Handling Research Unit. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2006, 54, 1759-1763 1759 10.1021/jf052353t CCC: $33.50 © 2006 American Chemical Society Published on Web 02/03/2006