Selenium-rich black peanuts

Selenium-rich black peanuts

　　Black peanuts, also known as selenium-rich black peanuts, black-seeded peanuts, or simply black peanut variety, are a new type of peanut that contains calcium, potassium, copper, zinc, iron, selenium, manganese, eight vitamins, and 19 essential amino acids required by the human body. They are also rich in trace elements such as selenium, iron, and zinc, as well as melanin. Compared to red peanuts, black peanuts have 5% higher crude protein content, 23.9% higher arginine content, 19% higher potassium content, 48% higher zinc content, and 101% higher selenium content. Due to their high selenium and other trace element content, black peanuts play a beneficial role in maintaining human growth, immune function, and cardiovascular health.

Characteristics of the black-seeded peanut variety

　　I. Variety Origin: After eight years of selective breeding by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, followed by three years of yield comparison experiments as well as resistance and adaptability testing, the world’s first new black peanut variety—black peanuts—was successfully developed. This variety was created through radiation-induced mutation, selection of advanced genetic materials, and systematic sexual hybridization. It exhibits stable traits and can be used as seed year after year.

　　II. Traits and Features: This variety is mid-to-early maturing, with black-skinned seeds. The hundred-kernel weight is around 200 grams. The plants are semi-erect, with good lodging resistance, reaching a height of about 39 cm. There are 5–7 effective fruiting branches per plant. The leaves are dark green, and the plants exhibit continuous blooming with a relatively high number of flowers. Over 70% of the fruits are two-seeded, and the kernel extraction rate is over 70%. The average yield is about 300 kg per mu, with the entire growth cycle lasting between 110–135 days.　

Black peanuts, or black-seeded peanuts, are an excellent variety rich in high protein, high arginine, high selenium, high potassium, and high melanin. They contain 18 types of amino acids, with a total amino acid content of 27%, and protein and arginine contents reaching 30.68% and 362 mg/100 g respectively—5% and 23.9% higher than regular peanuts. Potassium, zinc, and selenium contents are 700 mg/100 g, 3.7 mg/100 g, and 8.3 mg/100 g respectively—19%, 48%, and 101% higher than regular peanuts. The strength of black peanuts lies in their special nutritional profile, which plays an extraordinary role in supporting human growth, immune function, and cardiovascular health. They offer anti-cancer benefits, protect the liver, support myocardial health, help prevent cardiovascular diseases, enhance immunity, eliminate excess body fat, provide antioxidant effects, and delay aging. Black peanuts hold broad prospects in health foods and medical nutrition, making them a highly promising dark-hued food.

Black peanuts — High in selenium, potassium, and protein, the pride of the peanut family

Black peanuts are rich in 18 types of amino acids, with a total amino acid content of 27.57%, second only to black soybeans, and essential amino acids accounting for 22.90%. Below are the 10 amino acids with the highest content, along with their functions:

1. Glutamic Acid: Black peanuts have the highest content among common grain and oil crops, at 5550 mg/100 g. This is 10.65% higher than the amino acid leader—black soybeans—and 215.69% higher than black corn, earning them the title “King of Glutamic Acid.”

The brain contains the most amino acids, and glutamic acid is a primary building block of the brain, helping to enhance brain function and enabling it to operate joyfully and efficiently.

American nutritionists have found that glutamic acid in adult blood rapidly exchanges with that in the brain.

Glutamic acid collects excess amines—which inhibit brain function—and converts them into buffering glutamine. Glutamine improves intelligence, accelerates ulcer healing, relieves fatigue, depression, and impotence, and treats schizophrenia and aging disorders.

Glutamic acid, glycine, and cysteine synthesize glutathione, a key free radical scavenger that protects brain cells from oxidative damage and delays brain aging. Free radicals are unstable oxidizing molecules produced as normal byproducts of oxygen use in cells. Over 50% of the brain is composed of fatty tissue, making it particularly vulnerable to free radical attacks.

2. Aspartic Acid: With a content of 3280 mg/100 g, second only to black soybeans (3719 mg/100 g), it helps promote brain cell development and enhances memory.

3. Arginine: Content is 3160 mg/100 g, 2.46% higher than black soybeans. Ranked second among the top 100 most popular nutritional supplements in the U.S., it is an essential amino acid for maintaining normal pituitary gland function.

Working together with ornithine and phenylalanine, it helps synthesize and secrete the pituitary growth hormone, strengthens muscle tissue, boosts immunity, and promotes wound healing.

Arginine is especially important for men, as it increases sperm count—since 80% of semen consists of this protein component—and promotes blood flow to the penis, enhancing firmness and male sexual function. Adults particularly need arginine, as the pituitary gland almost stops secreting it after age 30.

Arginine has a significant therapeutic effect on liver diseases.

4. Phenylalanine: Content is 1610 mg/100 g, 8.05% higher than black soybeans.

An essential amino acid, phenylalanine is necessary for nerve conduction—the chemical messenger between the brain and nerve cells. It improves memory and cognitive agility, reduces hunger, enhances libido, and alleviates depression.

5. Glycine: Content is 1500 mg/100 g, second only to black soybeans (1792 mg/100 g).

Glycine is very beneficial to the human body, aiding in treating pituitary insufficiency and providing additional creatine, thus helping treat progressive muscular atrophy.

It is also highly effective in treating excessive stomach acid.

6. Tyrosine: Content is 1320 mg/100 g, comparable to that of black soybeans.

It sharpens brain thinking, serves as a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, and plays a critical role in high-level neural transmission, stimulation, and altering brain activity.

It helps improve sexual performance, boosts mental alertness, and assists in managing depression and anxiety.

7. Proline: Content is 1250 mg/100 g. It aids in improving learning ability and accelerating wound healing.

8. Valine: Content is 1050 mg/100 g. It is an essential amino acid, a natural anabolic supplement for muscle building, and a primary source of energy for human muscles.

9. Alanine: Content 1030mg/100g. It can enhance immune system function, prevent kidney stones, and help alleviate hypoglycemia.

10. Lysine: Content 930mg/100g.

Lysine is not found in many plant proteins. As an extremely important essential amino acid in human protein construction, lysine promotes growth and development, tissue repair, and the production of antibodies, hormones, and enzymes. It helps improve concentration and enhances fertility.

Therefore, black peanuts are a natural health food that strengthens vitality and the brain, delays aging, and helps prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes, showing very promising potential.

Minerals

11. Potassium: Content: 670mg/100g. This is 33.2% higher than black soybeans, 87.15% higher than black sesame, and 74.02% higher than walnuts. Potassium is an essential trace element in the human body and the most abundant cation in intracellular fluid. Potassium plays a crucial role in cellular growth, maintenance, and function. It delivers oxygen to the brain, enhancing mental clarity; lowers blood pressure, maintains fluid balance and normal heart rhythm, coordinates nerve and muscle activity, reduces myocardial contractility, and aids myocardial relaxation—all essential for normal heart function. A potassium deficiency can lead to neuromuscular weakness, lethargy, and impair the heart’s ability to circulate blood.

The high potassium and low sodium content is a standout advantage of black peanuts over other crops.

12. Magnesium: Content: 290mg/100g. This is equal to black sesame, 45.73% higher than black soybeans, 16% higher than black corn, and 121.37% higher than walnuts. Magnesium, along with Vitamin E and Vitamin B, is listed among the top 15 brain-boosting antioxidants in the U.S., and both Vitamin E and B are found in high amounts in black peanuts. Like potassium, magnesium acts inside cells as the second most abundant cation and serves as an activator for enzymes—biological catalysts. Magnesium is closely related to bone formation and maintenance, and is vital for maintaining normal nerve and muscle excitability and proper heart function. Magnesium can improve hypertension and offers significant protection for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. It not only aids in diabetes treatment but also markedly lowers blood pressure in diabetic patients with hypertension, playing a crucial role in preventing diabetic complications. Magnesium effectively prevents hyperlipidemia and subsequent atherosclerosis, protecting the heart and brain. Supplementing magnesium can reduce cancer incidence.

13. Phosphorus: Content: 540mg/100g. This is 4.65% higher than black sesame, 3.85% higher than black soybeans, and 83.67% higher than walnuts. Phosphorus is essential for maintaining bones and teeth, participates in nearly all physiological chemical processes, is crucial for the regular beating of the heart, and is a primary substance for maintaining normal kidney function and transmitting nerve impulses. Phosphorus promotes growth and the repair of body tissues and organs, aids in the metabolism of fats and starches, and supplies energy and vitality.

14. Selenium: Content: 4.9mg/100g. This is second only to black soybeans (6.79mg/100g), 4.26% higher than black sesame, and 6.06% higher than walnuts. Selenium is an essential trace element for human growth and development and plays a vital role in slowing the aging process. Vitamin E and selenium complement each other, and their combined effect exceeds the sum of their individual effects. Both are antioxidants that prevent aging and tissue hardening caused by oxidation. Men require more selenium, as nearly half of the body's selenium is concentrated in the testes and the vas deferens adjacent to the prostate. Selenium is known as the “king of anti-cancer” elements among trace elements; it boosts immunity, prevents and fights cancer by inhibiting cancer cell metabolism and growth. Selenium deficiency can accelerate premature aging. Lack of selenium is closely linked to cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cirrhosis, arteriosclerosis, and hypertension. Selenium deficiency is also associated with cataracts, chronic fatigue syndrome, senile dementia, intellectual impairment, and memory decline.

Nutritional Components

15. Protein: Content: 28.12%, second only to black soybeans, 7.32% higher than black sesame, 13.22% higher than walnuts, 14.52% higher than black corn, and 17.64% higher than black rice.

16. Crude Fiber: Content: 10.81%, 6.61% higher than black soybeans, 2.76% higher than black corn, and 1.31% higher than walnuts. The dietary fiber in black peanuts is soluble fiber, which is easily digested and absorbed by the human body, making it an ideal source of dietary fiber. Soluble fiber can lower plasma cholesterol levels and liver cholesterol levels, primarily reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol without affecting high-density lipoprotein. In contrast, insoluble fibers such as cellulose and lignin rarely alter plasma cholesterol levels. Dietary fiber can prevent colon cancer, treat diabetes, inhibit cholesterol absorption, significantly lower serum cholesterol, and prevent atherosclerosis.

17. Carbohydrates: Content: 7.94%. This is 14.06% lower than black soybeans and 20.9% lower than walnuts. Carbohydrates are mainly divided into two types—starch and sugar—which are converted into glucose, or blood sugar, during digestion. Although carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body, excessive intake can be converted into fat. Doctors have long recommended that diabetics consume fewer carbohydrates and relatively more protein- and fat-rich foods. Black peanuts are an ideal food for diabetics.

Functional Factors

18. Melanin: The main component of melanin is anthocyanin, a pigment widely found in the plant kingdom. Melanin has strong physiological activity, acting as a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger, significantly delaying aging and reducing hepatic peroxide lipid levels. Melanin extracted from black peanuts contains large amounts of trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium, which play an important role in promoting children’s intellectual development and improving cardiovascular function. It is widely used to treat hypertension and prevent heart disease. Melanin protects collagen, which is not only beneficial to health but also helps maintain a youthful appearance by shielding collagen from free radical damage, preventing skin松弛 and wrinkles, thereby delaying skin aging.

Black peanuts are a natural health food that strengthens vitality and the brain, delays aging, and helps prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes, showing very promising potential.