A new peanut cultivar that has a high yield and a long shelf life has been developed by the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute.
The new cultivar, the Tainung No. 11 peanut, was produced after seven years of work, the institute said on Thursday.
As peanuts are rich in fat, they are difficult to store and easily go rancid, which has always been a challenge faced by the nation’s food-processing industry, the institute said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute
Peanuts high in oleic acid and low in linoleic acid are more stable and can be stored for longer, it said.
With a content of up to 78 to 83 percent oleic acid, Tainung No. 11 peanuts can be stored for at least six months as opposed to the three months that other peanuts usually last, it said.
The institute began to introduce peanut varieties that had a high oleic acid content, usually more than 70 percent, from the US in 2015 and cross-bred them with domestic cultivars, the institute said.
Trials in 2020 and last year showed that Tainung No. 11 peanuts that were harvested in different years are consistently high in oleic acid, it said.
The cultivar’s stability would make quality control and storage easier for food manufacturers, which would make it more competitive on the global market, the institute said.
In addition, the peanut plants are short and easy to harvest with machines, which would reduce the cost of labor, as harvesting by hand would not be required, it said.
The new cultivar produces more pods and can yield 30 percent more than common varieties, the institute said.
If planted in spring, it takes 120 to 130 days to grow before it can be harvested, while it only needs 100 to 115 days if planted in the fall, it said.
Each pod contains two peanuts, which are wrapped in pink seed coats and have a rich scent, the institute said, adding that the peanuts are great for making snacks and other processed products.
Applications are open to obtain the plant variety rights and for technology transfers, it said.
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