Osmaniye Yer Fıstığı

Osmaniye Yer Fıstığı is a peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subs. hypogaea var. hypogaea) of the legume family (Fabaceae), grown within the borders of Osmaniye province in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. The European Commission entered it in the register of protected designations of origin on 10 July 2024, by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1889, published in Official Journal L 2024/1889. The application was submitted by Osmaniye Commodity Exchange (Osmaniye Ticaret Borsası), established 18 August 1956. The Turkish domestic GI registration is No. 54, registered under Intellectual Property Law No. 6769 on 18 June 2003, protected as of 7 February 2002.

Osmaniye province accounts for approximately 75 percent of Turkey's total peanut production. The crop is so integral to the city's identity that peanut sculptures are installed at prominent points around Osmaniye, and the province hosts an annual peanut festival. The first and only peanut museum in Turkey is located in Osmaniye, presenting the product from cultivation to consumption.

What makes it distinct

Osmaniye Yer Fıstığı is characterised by its plump seed shape, high oil content, high oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio (1.89–2.06), sweet flavour, and pinkish light-red seed coat colour. These properties derive directly from the conditions of Osmaniye province: the climate provides temperatures that do not fall below 25°C during the critical June-to-August fruiting period, enabling optimal photosynthesis and accumulation of sugar and oil in the seed. The loose, high-organic-matter terra-rossa and alluvial soils of the Çukurova region allow seeds to develop fully underground and become plump in shape. The high iron content of Osmaniye soil is linked to the high oil content, the high oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio, and the characteristic pinkish-red colour of the raw seed coat.

Physical and chemical properties

The following values are taken directly from the Single Document (OJ C/2024/1714) and product specification:

Seed morphology and composition:

• Seed length (mm): 10–24

• Seed width (mm): 7–14

• Cotyledon share of seed weight (%): 91.0–94.0

• Seed coat share (%): 4.0

• Embryo share (%): 3.0

• Protein (%): 20.0–30.0

• Carbohydrate (%): 18.0

• Oil content (%): 45.0–60.0

• Starch (%): 0.5–5.0

• Sucrose (%): 4.0–7.0

• Cellulose (%): approximately 2.0

• Ash (%): approximately 3.0

• Tocopherol (%): 0.05

• Moisture, raw unprocessed (%): 5.0–7.0

• Moisture after roasting (%): approximately 2.0

• Oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio: 1.89–2.06

Unsaturated fatty acids: Approximately 80% of peanut oil consists of unsaturated fatty acids. Oleic acid makes up 45% and linoleic acid 35% of the unsaturated fatty acids.

Mineral content per 100 g:

• Potassium (mg): 680.0–890.0

• Calcium (mg): 20.0–80.0

• Magnesium (mg): 90.0–340.0

• Phosphorus (mg): 250.0–660.0

• Sulfur (mg): 190.0–240.0

• Zinc (mg): 2.0–50.0

• Manganese (mg): 1.0–50.0

• Iron (mg): 2.0–100.0

• Copper (mg): 1.0–30.0

• Aluminum (mg): 75.0–110.0

• Nickel (mg): 3.0–8.0

Commercial size classification (shelled):

• Grand: 32–34 seeds per 100 g

• Medium: 34–36 seeds per 100 g

• Small: 36–38 seeds per 100 g

Production zone

Osmaniye Yer Fıstığı is produced within the administrative borders of Osmaniye province, which comprises 7 districts: Merkez, Bahçe, Düziçi, Hasanbeyli, Kadirli, Sumbas, and Toprakkale. The province is located in the Çukurova region in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey, between 35°52' and 36°42' east meridians and 36°57' and 37°45' north parallels. It borders Gaziantep to the east, Hatay to the south, Adana to the west, and Kahramanmaraş to the north. The provincial centre sits at 118 metres above sea level. The Ceyhan River, fed by the Ilısu and Akçasu streams, irrigates the territory.

All production operations — planting, fertilizing, harvesting, drying, shelling, and roasting — must take place within this geographical area.

Climate and growing conditions

Osmaniye has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Temperatures during the critical fruiting period do not fall below 25°C in June, July, and August, and temperatures above 25°C in September also contribute to the ideal temperature regime for peanut development. The ideal growing temperature range is 22–28°C: at 25°C, germination occurs 7–8 days after sowing, flowering follows 40–50 days later, and fruit begins to ripen 60 days after flowering.

Monthly relative humidity ranges between 55.63–65.75% on the long-term average. Total annual rainfall of 500–600 mm, with a regular distribution through the growing period, is sufficient for economic cultivation without irrigation — though supplementary furrow irrigation is applied in the dry months of July and August.

Soil pH in Osmaniye is 6.0–6.5, within the ideal range for peanut growth. The terra-rossa and alluvial soils are well-drained, loose, and calcium-rich, with high organic matter content. The high phosphorus, potassium, and iron levels in Osmaniye soil directly influence oil content, fatty acid profile, and seed colour.

Cultivation and harvest

Planting as a first crop runs from 10 April to 20 May when soil temperature exceeds 18°C; second-crop planting (after wheat or barley harvest) is completed by 25 June. Sowing depth is 5–6 cm in heavy soils and 6–8 cm in lighter soils, with row spacing of 60–70 cm and 10–15 cm spacing within rows for first-crop, or 75–90 cm row spacing for second-crop planting.

As a legume, the crop benefits from nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi naturally present in the soil and requires minimal nitrogen fertilization. A mandatory rotation break of at least 3 years between peanut plantings in the same field reduces the risk of stem rot (Sclerotium rolfsii) and aflatoxin contamination.

The growing season runs 90–140 days for first-crop peanuts (snack varieties: 140–160 days; oil varieties: 115–125 days). Determining harvest time requires specialist knowledge and experience: early harvest results in shrivelled kernels and reduced oil content; late harvest causes fruits to detach underground and increases harvest losses and aflatoxin risk.

At harvest, plants are uprooted and turned root-upward on the soil surface to dry. Moisture content at harvest is 40–50%, dropping to 20–25% after threshing and below 10% after drying. Final storage requires temperature below 20°C, humidity at most 65–70%, and good ventilation, with kernel moisture below 7% inside the shell.

Roasting is carried out at 140–150°C on belt ovens for approximately 15–20 minutes, followed by cooling to room temperature before packaging.

Control and certification

Control is shared between two bodies named in the product specification:

• Osmaniye Commodity Exchange (Osmaniye Ticaret Borsası) — applicant body; monitors producers and member activities

• Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Osmaniye Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Directorate — auditing authority; verifies product characteristics, geographical origin, production method, and labelling compliance; enforces traceability via the mandatory one-step-forward-one-step-back principle of the Turkish Food Codex