ARS | Publication request: FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT DURING ROASTING OF PEANUT PROTEIN FRACTIONS

Submitted to: American Peanut Research and Education Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: July 11, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Many of the flavor compounds which make up the complex flavor of peanuts are generated by the reaction of sugars and amino acids in the Maillard type browning reactions that take place during roasting. The degradation of polypeptide precursors during roasting has been implicated as one source of amino acid reactants. In this study, virginia-type peanuts were defatted and the protein fraction was separated by a variety of methods including acid precipitation, size-exclusion, ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The resulting polypeptide fractions were dried, mixed with peanut oil, and roasted. Using a GC/MS-based model system and an ad-hoc sensory panel, several peanut fractions have been identified which consistently yield unique flavor components such as methyl-pyrazines, benzaldehyde, and phenylacetaldehyde. While we have not been able to produce a fraction with the 'typical roasted peanut aroma' published by others, sensory evaluation of the roasted fractions showed that other components of peanut flavor such as 'sweet aromatic' could be generated from relatively simple fractions. Further characterization of these fractions by gel electrophoresis and HPLC shows that they contain combinations of polypeptides.