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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Market Quality and Handling Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #84671
Title: OCCURRENCE OF RESVERATROL IN EDIBLE PEANUTS

Author
item Sanders, Timothy
item MCMICHAEL, JR, ROBERT - COMSYS TECHNICAL SERVICES

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/24/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Resveratrol has been reported as one of the compounds responsible for the health benefits of red wine consumption. In recent published reports, resveratrol has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and reduced cancer risk. Scientific literature indicates that resveratrol has been found in peanut seed after inoculation and incubation with fungi which hstimulate the production of this class of compounds in some plants. The articles further indicated that no resveratrol was detected in uninoculated tissue. The question addressed in this research is whether or not the compound is found in peanuts which are normally used in peanut processing. We adapted analytical methods for resveratrol in wine to isolate and identify resveratrol in edible peanuts. We examined spanish, runner, and virginia peanut from different production locations in the US and found a range of 1.7-3.7 mcg/g (micrograms/gram) in peanuts. By contrast, red wine contains about 160 mcg/fluid ounce and peanuts contain about 73 mcg/ounce. A serving size of peanuts is considered to be an ounce, but an average glass of wine is about five fluid ounces, which equals about 800 mcg in a serving of wine. These data on resveratrol in peanuts add to the body of evidence that peanuts, and other nuts, contain many nutritionally bioactive compounds and support scientific studies which indicate that the frequent consumption of peanuts and/or other nuts results in reduced cardiovascular disease risk, lowered total cholesterol, and lowered HDL cholesterol. The data on resveratrol should be viewed as another part of the positive picture of peanuts which includes relatively high levels of Vitamin E, folic acid, fiber, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and other bioactive compounds.

Technical Abstract: Resveratrol has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and reduced cancer risk. This phytoalexin has been reported in a number of plant species including grapes and may be one of the compounds responsible for the health benefits of red wine. Recent reviews indicate the presence of resveratrol in peanuts; however, a search of the literature revealed no reports of resveratrol in edible peanuts. Resveratrol has been identified in stems, hypocotyls, and germinating seed only after inoculation/ incubation with fungi. Analytical methods for resveratrol in wine were adapted to isolate and identify resveratrol in edible peanuts. Ethanolic extracts of peanuts without seed coats were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC using a C-18 column. Quantitative analysis of three peanut market types from four production locations indicated a range of 1.7-3.7 mcg/g (micrograms/gram) compared to 0.6-8.0 mcg/ml in red wines.