Volatile compound profiles of raw and roasted peanut seeds of the Runner, Spanish and Valencia market types

Authors: DEXTER-BOONE, LEAH - North Carolina State University; Johanningsmeier, Suzanne; Dean, Lisa

Submitted to: Journal of Food Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/2/2026
Publication Date: 3/7/2026
Citation: Dexter-Boone, L.K., Johanningsmeier, S.D., Dean, L.L. 2026. Volatile compound profiles of raw and roasted peanut seeds of the Runner, Spanish and Valencia market types. Journal of Food Research. Vol. 15, No. 2. https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v15n2p21.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v15n2p21

Interpretive Summary: The four peanut market types produced in the USA are Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. Each type has distinct characteristics that dictate their use in food products. Runners and Virginia are the major types produced due to their use in peanut butter and in shell products. Spanish and Valencia are limited in their growing regions but are used in products such as candies, snack bars and as an organic ingredient. Due to their limited availability, there has been little research done on their composition. The volatile organic compounds present in foods are responsible for their characteristic flavors. This study examined the volatile organic compounds using state of the art gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Using the Runner type as the control, the study found differences in the volatile organic compounds present that may be responsible for flavor differences. Many of these difference were related to the variations in the fatty acid profiles of the different market types.

Technical Abstract: Consumers are driven by roasted peanut flavor to purchase peanuts and peanut products. Different market types are used to create peanut products partially based on their roasted flavor characteristics. There is little information available in this area on the Spanish and Valencia martket types. This study investigated the chemistry involved in roasted peanut flavor formation by examining the differences in the volatile organic compounds present in raw and dry roasted Spanish and Valencia market type peanuts when compared to those found in the more popular Runner types. The volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles were generated with headspace solid phase microextraction paired with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Mixed model ANOVAs and Tukey’s tests were employed for significance testing and to separate sample means. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to visualize the effects of roasting and market type on VOC profiles and differences between the volatile organic compounds found and to ascertain the compounds responsible for the profile differences. The cluster analysis revealed some distinct patterns that distinguished market types and roast treatments. The raw peanuts were characterized primarily by alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes, and roasted profiles contained Maillard browning products such as pyrazines, pyrroles, and furans. There were some compounds that differentiated the market types. This research could help identify compounds that may be responsible for roasted peanut flavor to optimize/preserve peanut flavor through peanut breeding and processing techniques.