Single kernel sorting of high and normal oleic acid peanuts using near infrared spectroscopy

Peanuts are known to contain nutrients that deliver cardiovascular and health benefits. One such compound is oleic acid, an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid, which occurs naturally in peanuts in the concentration range 40–55% m/m, while some varieties are known to contain oleic acid above 75% m/m. These high oleic peanuts have been shown to have cardiovascular health benefit by lowering lipid levels. Breeders are therefore interested in selecting for peanuts with high oleic acid content in a rapid, non-destructive manner. Near infrared spectra acquired on single peanut kernels was used to classify the kernels as either high oleic content or normal, low oleic content, by means of partial least squares discriminant analysis with an overall error rate in classification of 3.3%.