Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389542
Research Project: Improvement and Maintenance of Peanuts, Peanut Products and Related Peanut Product Flavor, Shelf Life, Functional Characteristics

Location: Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit

Title: Flavor quality and composition of accessions resources in the North Carolina State University peanut breeding program

Author
item FRITZ, KATELYN - North Carolina State University
item Dean, Lisa
item Hendrix, Keith
item ANDRES, RYAN - North Carolina State University
item NEWMAN, CASSIE - North Carolina State University
item OAKLEY, ANDREW - North Carolina State University
item CLEVENGER, JOSH - Hudsonalpha Institute For Biotechnology
item DUNNE, JEFFREY - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2022
Publication Date: 5/10/2022
Citation: Fritz, K.R., Dean, L.L., Hendrix, K., Andres, R.S., Newman, C.S., Oakley, A.T., Clevenger, J.P., Dunne, J.C. 2022. Flavor quality and composition of accessions resources in the North Carolina State University peanut breeding program. Crop Science. 62:1880-1890. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20774.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20774

Interpretive Summary: Peanut flavor has not been considered important in the breeding of new peanut cultivars. This research evaluated the flavor of peanuts after roasting using a trained descriptive panel and the established peanut flavor lexicon. As the North Carolina State University peanut breeding program focuses on the Virginia market type peanuts, those entries into the Uniform Peanut Performance Tests (UPPT) and selected varieties from the NCSU breeding program were studied. Statistical analysis of the data identified two cultivars with higher flavor impact that could prove valuable in maintaining and increasing desirable peanut flavors in subsequent variety development.

Technical Abstract: Plant breeders often focus on production traits such as yield and disease resistance, while quality traits such as flavor are given low priority. Food manufacturers and consumers have expressed interest in superior flavor experiences suggesting that flavor attributes should play a more prominent role in selection. Flavor attributes were evaluated among a subset of the North Carolina State University (NCSU) peanut germplasm collection to simplify flavor analysis and selection, confirm a recent lack of progress in flavor improvement and identify new sources of flavor improvement in Virginia-type peanut. Multivariate and principal component analysis identified eleven flavor attributes and five principal components that should facilitate selection of improved peanut flavor. Analysis of historical variety trial data identified a significant deterioration in the roast peanut flavor and a modest improvement in other critical flavor attributes over the last twenty years. Based on these findings the accessions ‘Chimera’ and ‘NC Bunch’ were chosen to initiate a crossing program to develop Virginia-type peanut cultivars with improved roast peanut flavor.