Abstract
Background: Groundnut had been established to have great health benefits on account of its biochemical constituents. Methods: Eight cultivars of groundnut grown in Nigeria were analyzed using standard protocols for proximate compositions, amino acid and fatty acid profiles with the sole aim of selecting the most promising cultivars in terms of nutrient composition and oil stability. Result: The results indicated that crude protein was the highest in MK 373 and lesser in Samnut 22. Crude fat ranged from 44.68% in Samnut 21 to 49.98% in Samnut 23. The major amino acids were leucine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid. The cultivars Samnuts 21 and 22 showed higher essential amino acids (EAA), while higher non-essential amino acid (NEAA) was recorded in MK 373. The major fatty acids were palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Among the cultivars, Samnut 11 was the only cultivar with better oil quality on account of higher oleic and linoleic O/L and total poly unsaturated fatty acid and total saturated fatty acid (TPUS/TS) ratios that compared well with Codex/WHO standards. The results, in general, have shown that Samnuts 11, 21, 22 and MK 373 are the potentials cultivars that could be selected for breeding programme to improve the quality of groundnut in Nigeria.