Abstract: The types and contents of volatile flavor components in peanut butters prepared from seven varieties of peanuts were identified, and their sensory evaluation, particle size, rheological properties, texture and color were measured to analyze the effect of peanut varieties on the flavor and quality of peanut butter. The results showed that the types and contents of volatile components in peanut butters prepared from different peanut varieties were quite different. Heterocyclics were detected at levels of 1.318–9.537 mg/kg in the seven peanut butter samples, including pyrazines (0.611–1.804 mg/kg), furans (0.256–4.300 mg/kg), pyrroles (0.013–4.066 mg/kg), pyridines (0.006–0.896 mg/kg) and other heterocyclic compounds (in lesser amounts); aldehydes (1.988–5.968 mg/kg), ketones (0.655–0.934 mg/kg), alcohols (0.155–1.189 mg/kg), phenols (0–1.570 mg/kg), and olefins (0–0.324 mg/kg) were also detected in these samples. Among them, ‘Silihong’ peanut butter had the highest pyrazine content, the highest sensory evaluation score, and the most recognizable flavor. The peanut butter samples contained 0.66%–0.86% moisture, 48.39%–57.17% crude fat and 21.93%–35.80% crude protein, and had acid values of 0.11–1.21 mg/g and peroxide values of 0.19–6.23 mmol/kg. Among them, ‘Silihong’ peanut butter had the lowest crude fat content and the highest crude protein content, as well as medium acid value and peroxide value. The median particle sizes of the seven peanut butter samples were 7.65–8.34 μm, and the median particle sizes of ‘Silihong’, ‘Yuhua 76’ and ‘Yuhua 65’ peanut butters were all lower than those of the other four varieties. The thixotropic ring area of ‘Silihong’ peanut butter was much larger than that of the other samples. Rheological and texture analysis showed that the spreadability of ‘Silihong’ peanut butter was the best among the samples. On the whole, ‘Silihong’ peanut butter has rich volatile flavor components, together with good sensory, texture and rheological properties, indicating ‘Silihong’ to be a suitable variety for making peanut butter.

Key words: peanut butter; peanut varieties; peanut butter flavor; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; volatile components; quality