Variability in Oil Quality Among Peanut Genotypes in the Florida Breeding Program¹

The improvement of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) oil quality has long been an objective of the Florida breeding program, since it influences the shelf-life and nutritional quality of manufactured products. Fatty acid distribution of the peanut genotypes (228 in 1984 and 298 in 1985) from the Gainesville and Marianna locations was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. A wider range in fatty acid composition, especially in oleic and linoleic acids, was found among these genotypes than that reported previously in the literature for the cultivated peanut. Two closely related experimental lines (435–2–1 and 435–2–2) had 80% oleic and 2% linoleic acid, with iodine values of 74. For the Florida breeding lines, iodine values of the oil ranged from 74 to 107 and the oleic/linoleic (O/L) ratios from 0.9 to 35:1. Florunner, by comparison, has an iodine value of 95 and an O/L ratio of slightly less than 2. The oleic acid content of the different experimental lines ranged from 37% to 80%, and the linoleic acid content from 2% to 43%. The magnitude of this variability permits the development of peanut cultivars with a range of oil composition for improved nutritional and industrial purposes. All the oil quality factors were highly significantly affected by genotype, and all but three of the factors were significantly affected by season.