Commercial Runner Peanut Cultivars in the United States: Tocopherol Composition

Tocopherols in commercially grown normal, mid- and high-oleic Runner peanuts from 2005 and 2006 were quantified to give accurate vitamin E contents. Tocopherols were extracted from raw peanuts by a direct solvent extraction procedure using 10% ethyl acetate in hexanes that provided percent recoveries of 105.4, 101.2, 103.9, and 102.8 for alpha-tocopherol (T), beta-T, gamma-T, and delta-T, respectively. No significant (P > 0.05) differences were noted in total tocopherol levels in normal- (22.4 mg/100 g), mid- (23.9 mg/100 g), and high-oleic (22.4 mg/100 g) Runner peanuts. alpha-T levels did vary significantly among the Runner cultivars classified by their oleic acid content (mid, 11.7 mg/100 g; normal, 10.9 mg/100 g; high, 9.8 mg/100 g). Cultivar effects were highly significant (P < 0.001) for alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-T and total tocopherol contents, whereas production year effects were highly significant for alpha- and beta-T levels. Year x cultivar interactions were not significant (P > 0.05). Cluster analysis segregated the cultivars into two major groups represented by lower alpha-T and higher gamma-T levels (cluster A) and high alpha-T and low gamma-T levels (cluster B) (P < 0.05). The mean alpha-T level in Runner peanuts (151 samples) was 10.5 +/- 1.5 mg/100 g, which is 26.7% greater than the imputed value for peanuts, all types (NBD 16087) provided by the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.