| Abstract: | Several groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) cultivars developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and one local cultivar for use as a control were grown in the post-rainy and rainy seasons at Patancheru, India. Free and bound lipids were extracted and their fatty acid compositions determined. Acid, peroxide, iodine and saponification values were determined. Flavour quality was evaluated using headspace analysis. The quantity of total lipids was significantly higher in the cultivars grown in the rainy season than those grown in the post-rainy season and was higher in the ICRISAT cultivars than in the control in both seasons. Oleic (O) to linoleic (L) acid ratio was lowest in the chioroform-methanol extract and highest in water-saturated butanol extract. One ICRISAT line, ICGS 21, showed the highest O/L ratio in all lipid fractions in both seasons. Among the flavour components, n-methyl pyrrole, associated with an objectionable musty flavour, was present in very high concentration in all the cultivars. |
