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

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.