Identification of the Oxidative Products and Ozonolysis Pathways of Polyphenols in Peanut Skins

Many studies have proved that ozone can decompose aflatoxins in peanuts, while polyphenols in peanut skins can also be destroyed due to its strong oxidative capacity. The polyphenols and their oxidative products in the peanut skin extracts at different ozonated times were separated and identified by HPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Based on the accurate molecular weight from mass spectrogram, and consulted the reported literatures, nine polyphenols and nine main oxidative products were identified in the peanut skins. According to the oxidative mechanism of phenols and the Criegee mechanism of ozonolysis, the ozonolysis pathways of nine polyphenols were proposed. The structures of oxidative products showed that ozone can destroy the polyphenols, so the effects of ozone treatment on the peanut skins should be considered by processors in the detoxification of aflatoxin-contaminated peanuts.