Tocopherols in runner and virginia peanut cultivars at various maturity stages

Alpha‐, beta‐, gamma‐, and delta‐tocopherol (α‐T, β‐T, γ‐T and σ‐T) were determined in peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars Florunner, Sunrunner, Southern Runner, AT‐127, GK‐7, NC‐7, NC‐9 and GK‐3. There were significant differences in tocopherol content among runner‐ and virginia‐type peanut cultivars, and these differences were affected by the degree of maturation. α‐T decreased with maturation for all of the cultivars except Florunner. γ‐T increased with maturation for GK‐7, NC‐9 and GK‐3 but decreased for Florunner. For the mature nuts, Florunner and NC‐9 had the highest levels of α‐T while GK‐3 and Southern Runner had the lowest levels. GK‐7 and Sunrunner had the highest levels of γ‐T, while the lowest levels were in Florunner and GK‐3.