Profiling seventeen cultivars of roasted peanuts by descriptive sensory and flavor volatile analyses

•Peanuts cultivars (17) were profiled for flavor via descriptive analysis and GC-MS.•Runner cultivars showed higher intensities of roasted peanutty and sweet flavors.•Maillard browning seem to be responsible for generation of roasted flavors.•In general, runners might be higher in roasted flavors than virginias. The main objective of the study was to profile the aroma and flavor of 17 commercially available peanut cultivars through descriptive sensory analysis and instrumental measurements. Twelve runner (ten high-oleic varieties) cultivars, and five virginia (two high-oleic varieties) cultivars were studied. The peanut samples were roasted to medium roast levels before being subjected to proximate analysis, descriptive sensory analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, and fatty acid analysis. In general, the runners showed higher intensities of typical roasted flavors and related aroma volatiles compared to the virginia cultivars. TUFRunner™ ‘511′, TUFRunner™ ‘727′, FloRun™ ‘331′, and Florida-07 (high-oleic runner cultivars) were characterized by higher intensities of roasted flavors (descriptive) and aroma volatiles (pyrazines and aromatic aldehydes) compared to the rest of the runner and virginia cultivars. Two high-oleic virginia cultivars, Georgia 11 J and Bailey II were characterized darker roast-type descriptors and aroma volatiles. Although the principal components analysis (PCA) showed similar trends, it was evident that the relationship between roasted flavors (descriptive) and aroma volatiles (pyrazines and aromatic aldehydes) was not very strong. More in-depth studies are required to understand the roasted flavor generation in these commercial peanut cultivars under various roasting conditions.