Advancing Australian Peanuts on a
Nutritional Quality Platform
The Quest for Quality Food | Research Symposium | 15 July 2014
Dr. Kim-Yen Phan-Thien | Teaching and Research Fellow
Department of Plant and Food Sciences
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
& ENVIRONMENT
Dr. Graeme C. Wright | Manager, Peanut Breeding and Innovation
Peanut Company of Australia
Dr. N. Alice Lee | Senior Lecturer
School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW
Advancing Australian Peanuts
Agenda
› Rise of health and nutrition marketing
› The Australian peanut industry
› Peanut genetics and breeding
› Story 1: Development of Hi-Oleic peanuts
› Story 2: Antioxidants – the next quality milestone in peanuts?
› Conclusions
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The Context
Rising Importance of Nutrition & Health-Related Qualities in Food
› Top 10 functional food trends
- Health influenced the food
purchase decisions of 64% of
consumers, up from 61% in
2012
- 58% of consumers thought a
lot about the healthfulness of
their foods/beverages, 47%
thought a lot about food
ingredients, and 40%
frequently turned their thoughts
to food safety
- Eight in 10 adults made some
effort to eat healthier last year,
and one-third (34%) made a lot
of effort – behavior patterns
that are unchanged over the
past six years
› Global functional food/beverage sales topped $118 billion in 2012
- “Ingredients added for special
health benefits"•and "higher in
nutrients"
… the top two
attributes that made a food
product good for health and
wellness
Sloan (2014) Food Technology 68(4)
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The Australian Peanut Industry
Industry Snapshot
› World peanut production 39.9 Mt (2012/13)
- China, India & USA the main producers
- USA is the dominant exporter & sets world prices
› Australian production contributes 0.2%
Atherton, -15°S
- 11,300 ha yielding 26 kt (2.8 kt exported)
- 5-8 kt imported mainly from China & Argentina
› >95% Australian production in QLD
- Severe droughts over past 2 decades have
reduced production in Kingaroy
- Large shift into irrigated regions esp. coastal
Burnett
Emerald
Bundaberg
Kingaroy, -27°S
St George
› PCA established 1924 as state marketing board and deregulated in 1992 – still the
largest processor, marketer & supplier in Australia
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The Australian Peanut Industry
Peanut Breeding in Australia
› Genetic improvement a key strategy to achieve production goals
› Historical shift in emphasis of peanut breeding program since 1977
Sun Oleic 95R imported from USA
- 1980s: yield and drought adaptation for dryland production
- 1990s: yield and adaptation for increased irrigated production
- Since 1995: yield and kernel quality
- 2000s: earlier maturing varieties
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Story 1: Hi-Oleic Peanuts
What are Hi-Oleic Peanuts? Fatty Acid Composition…
100%
13
5
14
6
18
15
13
SATURATED
POLYUNSATURATED
9
36
MONOUNSATURATED
28
61
62
24
25
SOYBEAN
OIL
CORN OIL
50%
82
77
58
54
0%
HI OLEIC
PEANUTS
OLIVE OIL CANOLA OIL REGULAR
PEANUTS
Comparison of Fats Chart prepared by the Agronomy Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida (2003).
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Story 1: Hi-Oleic Peanuts
Benefits of Hi-Oleic Peanuts
› Greater oil stability
- Better shelf-life – less wastage
- Less packaging requirements:
no need for barrier packaging,
pre-coating or stabilisers
› Reduced oxidation
- Less off-flavour development
- Slower decline in roasted
peanut flavour (esp. pyrazines)
- Better tasting nuts for longer
› Health benefits for consumers = marketing opportunity
› Product differentiation from international ‘commodity grade’ peanuts
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Story 1: Hi-Oleic Peanuts
The R&D road to Hi-Oleic Peanuts
› Trait identified by Uni. Florida in 1980s
- Hi-Oleic trait is controlled by 2 recessive genes (‘ol1’ and ‘ol2’)
› Introduced to Australia in 1990s
- Conventional breeding to backcross Hi-Oleic mutant (F435) with adapted
commercial Virginia lines e.g. Streeton, Conder
- Selection for Hi-Oleic segregants in F2 initially done using gas chromatography
on half a kernel so that remainder could still be planted for further generations
- From mid-2000s NIRS calibrations developed to enable single seed selection
› PCA has supplied 100% Hi-Oleic peanuts since 2002
- All new peanut variety releases from breeding program are Hi-Oleic
- Quality assurance to maintain seed purity
8
Story 2: Antioxidant-Rich Peanuts
Dietary Antioxidants and Human Health
› Antioxidants may counteract oxidative damage to tissues and reduce risk
of chronic degenerative diseases
› Dietary antioxidant research frequently measures ‘total antioxidant
capacity’ and phytochemical composition
› Peanuts contain a wide range
of antioxidants inc. phenolic
acids, flavonoids, stilbenes,
tocopherols
9
Story 2: Antioxidant-Rich Peanuts
Australian R&D towards Antioxidant-Rich Peanuts
› Australian peanut breeding lines phenotyped for antioxidant capacity
- Genotypic variation: 25% RSD in ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity
assay) of 32 representative lines
- G×E interaction: Relatively low G×E interaction suggests selection may be
effective in different environments
- Heritability: Moderate broad-sense heritability (genotype explained 44%
phenotype on a plot basis and 82% on an entry mean basis)
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Story 2: Antioxidant-Rich Peanuts
Genetic Variation and Breeding Potential
› Recombinant Inbred (RIL)
population analysed for
antioxidant capacity
- Broad range in ORAC values that
was normally distributed
- Likely transgressive segregation
beyond parental means
› Further research
- More work required to confirm heritability and G x E for the trait
- Rapid, accurate and low cost phenotyping techniques are required to enable
selection in larger segregating populations
- Role of conjugated and matrix-bound antioxidants – implications for analysis but also
bioavailability, bioactivity & functional food utility
- Postharvest stability, processing effects, market & consumer research
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Conclusions
General Ideas for Australian Food Industries
› The nutrition, health & wellness trend is a huge marketing opportunity
- Use biomedical & clinical research to identify traits with substantiated health benefits
- Input from market research to identify specific traits with commercial potential
- Need to ensure marketing is an accurate portrayal of the science
› Plant breeding to improve nutritional quality & value of primary products
- Requires genetic variability for conventional breeding
- Commercial viability requires simple, low cost, rapid phenotyping screen
- Other strategies: enhancement by processing & fortification/supplementation
› Interdisciplinary/collaborative approach for long-term success
- Draw on University, DAFF and industry R&D capabilities to develop products that can
be differentiated on a scientific basis – esp. genetic, biochemical
- Collaborate to make the most of resources e.g. lab, pilot and commercial-scale R&D
- Use interdisciplinary understanding to advantage e.g. plant physiology > agronomy >
G×E > postharvest > bio-processing
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