Acceptability and Preference Drivers of Freshly Roasted Peanuts.

The objectives of this study were to determine and compare the sensory perceptions and aroma volatiles of 6 freshly roasted peanut samples and to explore the drivers of consumer acceptability. Normal-oleic Georgia 06G kernels (06G), high-oleic Georgia 13M kernels (13M), Georgia runner (mixed) in-shell (InR) & kernels (R), and Virginia (mixed) in-shell (InVA) & kernels (VA) were roasted to medium doneness for consumers, descriptive, and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) tests. For Virginia variety, InVA was preferred over VA. High-oleic 13M was preferred over normal-oleic 06G in overall liking, aroma liking, flavor liking, sweet liking and roasted peanut flavor liking, and so on. Descriptive tests showed that 06G was highest in bitter taste. Cluster analysis divided consumers into 3 segments. Consumer overall liking was positively correlated with attributes related to fresh products and negatively correlated with the attributes that gave consumer the impression of oxidation and overroast. Consumer in cluster 3 had more light eaters and paid less attention to textural aspects. GC-MS data identified benzene derivatives and pyrazines as the principal volatiles. 06G had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher concentration of alcohols and aldehydes with the lowest concentration of pyrazines. As the major pyrazine, 2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine had the strongest correlation with roasted peanutty flavor, while octanal, nonanal, hexanal, and 2-pentyl pyridine showed closer correlation with overall oxidized flavor.