Abstract: Fresh peanut refers to the peanut that is directly eaten without drying or cooked after harvest. Fresh peanut, which has the advantages of convenience, rich nutrition and delicious taste, is loved by consumers. Fresh peanut has a short growth period, and it can be harvested twice a year in some areas, which has high economic benefits. This paper summarizes the current status of research on fresh peanut from five aspects: quality evaluation, screening of specialized cultivars, the molecular mechanism for the suitability of selected cultivars for producing fresh peanut, storage methods, and processing technologies. Problems existing in this field of research and future development directions are discussed. This review hopes to provide a theoretical basis for cultivar screening and industrial development of fresh peanut.

Key words: fresh peanut; quality evaluation; special cultivars; molecular mechanism for suitability; storage methods; processing technologies