Do drought-adapted peanut genotypes have different bioactive compounds and ROS-scavenging activity?

Abstract

Peanuts are grown in both developed and developing countries, and their cultivation has been considerably expanded to semiarid and arid regions. In this study, we investigated the ROS-scavenging activity and bioactive composition of hydric stress-tolerant (BR1, Senegal 55,437, L7 Bege, F.M424B) and -susceptible peanut genotypes (LViPE-06, LGoPE-06 and Tatu). Peanut grains were examined for their fatty acid profile by GC-FID, tocopherol content by HPLC-FLD, phenolic composition by LC–ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS, and for their ability to deactivate ROS (ROO·, HOCl, O2·− and OH·). All genotypes had the same fatty acid profile. The highest total tocopherol content was found in the drought-tolerant genotype BR1 (80.38 mg·100 g−1), which corresponded to nearly twofold that found in most peanut genotypes. BR1 grains showed the greatest capacity to deactivate ROO•, whilst LGoPE-06, F.M424B, BR1 and LViPE-06 grains were the most active against HOCl. The greatest OH• scavenging capacity was observed for Senegal 55,437 genotype (drought tolerant). LC–ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS analysis detected a total of 26 polyphenols, including 2,6-dihydrobenzoic acid, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid-O-hexoside and catechin-O-hexoside, which were identified for the first time in unpeeled peanuts. To conclude, both drought-tolerant and -susceptible peanut genotypes did not have any significant influence on the content of fatty acids and tocopherols and ROS scavenging, although the drought-tolerant genotype BR1 stood out significantly from the others.