Near-Infrared Analysis of Peanut Seed Skins for Catechins

Abstract

Peanuts ( Arachis hypogea ) produce several phenolic compounds such as catechins that may be isolated as co-products from peanut seed testae or skins during peanut processing. Peanut skins are currently underutilized although they are a potential source of bioactive compounds for use in functional foods and animal feeds. The phenolic compounds in the skins can degrade during processing and lose bioactivity. Extracted peanut skins were analyzed by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to detect phenolic compounds. Spectra were collected from 10000 - 4000 cm ﹣1 and evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) to compare differences in peanut skins before and after alcohol extraction. PCA of derivative spectra showed clear separation into two groups. These results support the development of predictive models to measure catechins in blanched peanut skins.