GAINESVILLE -- A new "wonder peanut" being harvested for the first time in the United States this month beats olive oil in healthful benefits, says a University of Florida peanut breeder.

The SunOleic 97R peanut, developed by Daniel W. Gorbet, a UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences agronomy professor, not only surpasses olive oil in cholesterol-lowering properties, it offers growers better yields than the industry standard, "Florunner" - 10 to 14 percent more peanuts per acre, he says.

And if that isn't enough, it offers manufacturers and retailers a three- to 15-fold increase in product shelf life, Gorbet says.

"That attribute alone translates into millions of dollars of savings on recalls due to outdated product," he said. "Longer shelf life also gives the new peanut an edge in taste. In industry meetings, where many varieties of peanuts are handed out and tested by growers and manufacturers, this is the peanut everyone's eating. Not only does it taste good, it holds its flavor longer."

What gives the peanut its health-promoting qualities is its chemistry, Gorbet says. It has more than 80 percent oleic fatty acid - compared with about 50 percent in regular peanuts. Fatty acids are a major component in all oils, but it is the oleic form - found in largest quantities in olive and canola oils - that scientists believe make them healthy.

"This peanut has even more oleic acid than olive or canola oil. Its health benefits, therefore, could potentially be better," he said.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for women over 40. Yet in a 1995 UF nutrition study, the new peanut's chemistry, in conjunction with a low-fat diet, was shown to help reduce coronary risk factors by lowering blood cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women. That study, conducted by UF/IFAS nutrition professor Rachel Shireman and graduate student Dawn O'Byrne, showed significant reductions in serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholest
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Contact: Carole Jaworski
carole@ufl.edu
352-392-1773
University of Florida
10-Oct-1997