An electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry screening of triacylglycerols in developing cultivated and wild peanut kernels (Arachis hypogaea L.)

The accumulation of triacylglycerols during the development of three varieties of peanuts was monitored in two Tunisian cultivated peanut (Trabelsia (AraT) and Chounfakhi (AraC)) and one wild Tunisian peanut (Arbi (AraA)). The presence of TAGs composed of rare fatty acid residues such as hexacosanoic acid (C23:0) and heneicosanoic acid (C21:0) among the triacylglycerols C23:0 LL, C23:0 OO and C21:0 LL was noted. The major molecular species of triacylglycerol detected in the three peanut varieties were dioleoyl linoleoyl (OOL), 1,2,3-trioleyl (OOO), 1,2-dioleyl-3-palmitoyl (POO), 1,2-dilinoleoyl-3-oleyl (OLL) and 1-oleoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-linolenoyl (OLLn). The TAG composition and content were significantly different among the three peanut varieties. The three major TAGs were OOL (20.6%), OOO (15.6%) and OLLn (13.2%) in AraA; OOL (21.4%), OOO (20.1%) and POO (17.5%) in AraC and finally OLL (20.7%), OOO (19.8%) and OLL (17.7%) in AraT.