Carbohydrate composition of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea).

unprocessed, has been determined. The flour contains about 38 % total carbohydrates
of which oligosaccharides account for 18 %, starch 12.5 %, hemicelluloses
A and B 0.5 and 3.5% respectively and fibre (cellulose) 4.5%. Sucrose 13.90
and 14.55 %, raffinose 0.89 and 0.92 %, stachyose 1.56 and 1.60 %, and verbascose
0.41 and 0.42 % represent the oligosaccharide fractions (from 70 % alcoholic
extract) of unprocessed and processed flour, respectively. In addition the unprocessed
flour also contained glucose 0.80% and fructose 0.41 % along with two
unidentified spots 0.70 %. Hemicellulose A consisted of glucose, arabinose, and
xylose (4 :0.5 : 0.1) whereas hemicellulose B had galacturonic acid, glucose,
galactose, arabinose and xylose (1 :4 : 1 : 12 : 6). The fibre fraction on hydrolysis
yielded predominantly glucose with only traces of galacturonic acid and
rhamnose. The presence of verbascose and xylose in groundnuts has not been
previously reported.