2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Develop descriptive sensory characteristics determination methodologies for roasted peanut texture and identify peanut flavor compounds related to optimum flavor. 2. Utilize information to determine the influence and potential for influence of production, handling, and roasting factors. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): A peanut texture lexicon will be developed and verified using terms derived from other nut research. Flavor chemistry methodology will include standard extraction, headspace analysis, and gas chromatography olfactometry (GCO) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) methodology and various descriptive sensory analysis techniques. ARS will provide peanut samples from different production locations, different germplasm lines and different processing protocols for these analyses. 3.Progress Report: This research relates to inhouse project objective 2: Improve flavor and flavor consistency and reduce off flavor potential in peanut varieties, breeding lines, germplasm and peanut products. The inhouse descriptive panel was trained using a newly developed lexicon which describes texture based on different types of roasted tree nuts. Peanuts from current production varieties, breeding lines under development and archived germplasm from ARS were roasted to a range of colors under specified conditions of time and temperature. Resulting products were evaluated for final texture and flavor by in house descriptive panel. Flavors and flavor components were analyzed after extraction using headspace sampling, gas chromatography olfactometry (GCO), standard gas chromatography and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). Other nutritional factors such as fatty acids, tocopherols and sugars were determined and data was evaluated for changes due to roasting effects.