New Peanuts Profile More Like Olive Oil

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Consumers looking for more of the healthy monounsaturated fats found in olive oil may soon be able to reach for a handful of peanuts. USDA and Oklahoma State University scientists have cultivated a new Spanish peanut variety, dubbed “OL,” that is high in oleic acid, the monounsaturated fat touted in the so-called Mediterranean diet. The new peanut, which will go into commercial production later this year, also has a longer shelf life and is resistant to Sclerotinia blight, a soilborne fungal disease blamed for crop losses of up to 50% in some areas. About half the fat in regular peanuts is monounsaturated, primarily oleic acid; previously developed high-oleic varieties have boosted that to over 80%. (For more on peanuts’ health benefits, see story in this issue.)

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