Fatty acid composition of 16 Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea, L.) cultivars grown under Malaysian conditions

Groundnuts from 16 Arachis hypogaea L. cultivars were found to contain oil in the range o f 43 to 507o. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis o f the oil fatty acid m ethyl esters revealed the occurrence o f palmitic (12.22 to 13.30%), stearic (3.17 to 3.67%), oleic (37.94 to 41.90%) linoleic (34.59 to 37.51%), arachidic (1.63 to 1.85%) eicosaenoic (0.99 to 1.22%>), behenic (3.24 to 4.36%>), and lignoceric (1.08 to 1.44%) as the major fa tty acids. Cultivars Tainang 7, Kidang and Alabama were high in oil content and contained relatively low levels o f behenic acid and a high oleic/linoleic acid ratio in their oil