ARS | Publication request: ALPHA AND BETA-GALACTOSIDASE ACTIVITIES AND OLIGOSACCHARIDE CONTENT IN PEANUTS

Submitted to: Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 9, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Peanuts are a good source of protein. However, they contain complex sugars which can cause discomfort when they enter the colon. Thirty-three peanut cultivars were examined for their sugar content and an enzyme needed to break down certain complex sugars. Although the sugar content was found to be lower than that reported for soybean they can still pose a problem because of the amount consumed. Germinated seed contained less enzyme tha non-germinated seeds. The information obtained from this research will be useful to scientists studying ways of preventing discomfort caused by complex sugars.

Technical Abstract: Thirty-three peanut cultivars were examined for their a-1~ 6 and B- galactosidase activities and oligosaccharide content along with proximate composition. The average moisture, protein, fat, ash, and carbohydrate content were: 4.9%, 26.6%, 43.1%, 2.3%, and 23.1%, respectively. The corresponding coefficients of variation were: 5.2, 10.1, 7.2, 7.8, and 15.7, respectively. Raffinose and stachyose content (%) ranged from 0.05 to 0.12 and 0.31 to 0.61, respectively. The specific activity (umol product/min/mg protein) of crude preparation of a-galactosidase for the 33 cultivars ranged from 1.096 to 2.784 for the non-germinated seeds and 0.855 to 2.432 for the germinated seeds; the mean values for non-germinated and germinated seeds were: 1.781 and 1.410, respectively. The specific activity of B-galactosidase ranged from 0.101 to 1.722 with a mean of 0.904, in the non-germinated seeds and 0.352 to 0.898 with a mean of 0.508 in the germinated seeds. Germination decreased the activity of both galactosidases significantly (p<=0.01).