Study of lipid oxidation and volatile component of roasted peanuts stored in high-barrier packaging

Peanuts are a fat-rich matrix that necessitates packaging designed to ensure the best preservation of the product. Over time, the chemical composition of peanuts can degrade, particularly affecting the lipids and volatile compounds, especially during storage. Nowadays, the multilayer packaging used involves the presence of a layer of aluminium in the packaging, which however has high costs and makes the laminate difficult to recycle. In this study, the performance of two packaging for 4 months (standard with metalized polypropylene (PP) and alternative with PP coated with AlOx) on the influence of the lipid and volatile components were evaluated. Specifically, the oxygen barrier property, the peroxide value, the titratable acidity, volatile organic compounds, the phytosterols, and polyphenols content during the storage of peanuts were tested. The result showed no statistically significant difference between peanuts packaged in the two films. Regarding VOCs, the most present were aldehydes and pyrazines with no important difference between the two tested packagings. So, considering the obtained results, the aluminium layer is not a necessary condition to protect the peanuts from oxidation, and the development of high-barrier alternatives can be considered to produce new films.