From Lab to Kitchen: The Story Behind India’s Heart-Healthy Groundnut Oil
How science, farmers, and industry came together to create affordable, healthier cooking oil alternatives in India
Feature Story
Cooking oil in India is far more than a kitchen essential; it reflects culture, tradition, and everyday life. From ghee-rich festive sweets to deep-fried street food, oil is deeply woven into Indian food habits.
In recent years, cooking oil has also become central to a growing debate around health and affordability.
Healthier oils such as olive oil often cost between INR 800–1200 (USD 10–15), making them inaccessible to many middle-income households. At the same time, India faces a rising burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), increasing the need for healthier edible oils.
This creates a paradox: healthier oils remain expensive, while affordable oils are often linked to poorer health outcomes.
To address this challenge, scientists from ICRISAT and ICAR developed India’s first high oleic acid groundnut varieties — ICGV 15083 (Girnar 4) and ICGV 15090 (Girnar 5).
Released in 2020, these varieties contain higher levels of oleic acid, offering improved heart health benefits and better shelf life.
Reflecting on the innovation, Dr Janila Pasupuleti, Groundnut Breeding Lead at ICRISAT, highlighted the unique consumer-driven approach.
“Unlike the usual top-down approach, high oleic groundnut breeding was driven by consumer needs.
"The science behind heart-healthy oil is to increase oleic acid, a heart-friendly monounsaturated fat, while reducing less healthy fatty acids linked to low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol.
"This has led to the release of High Oleic Acid Groundnut varieties, Girnar 4 and Girnar 5 in India," said Dr Pasupuleti.
Globally, demand for high oleic oils continues to rise, and research efforts to enhance oleic acid content in major oilseed crops such as sunflower, mustard, and safflower are gaining momentum, with several high oleic variants now commercially available.
Dr Pasupuleti said the success of the initiative was driven by advances in genomics, collaboration among research partners and rigorous field testing across diverse environments.
Building the High Oleic Ecosystem
While scientific advances made high-oleic groundnut varieties such as Girnar 4 and Girnar 5 possible, translating these innovations from research labs to consumers’ kitchens required strong market integration.
This is where AgroCrops, a global leader in the peanut industry, leveraged its five decades of expertise to build an ecosystem around high-oleic peanuts through its HOPE (High Oleic Peanuts) Initiative.
As part of this effort, AgroCrops promoted the cultivation of high-oleic groundnut in India and other producing countries.
Through partnering with Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs), the company enabled farmers to adopt these improved varieties while creating stronger market linkages.
AgroCrops CEO Mr Saravanan Lokasundaram said their strategy has always been about integration.
“The idea was to connect peanut farmers to processing and end-use requirements while creating differentiated value across stakeholders.
“For us, high oleic groundnut represents more than a conventional crop improvement.
"It is part of a much larger transformation in global food systems and in fact, it is trailblazing; we are observing first-hand the market response to a health-linked agricultural product," said Mr Lokasundaram.
Following the release of Girnar 4 and Girnar 5 in 2020 for kharif (monsoon-season) cultivation in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, AgroCrops helped build farmer confidence by offering reliable market access and premium prices, reducing uncertainty during the early stages of adoption.
Gujarat Farmers Champion High Oleic Groundnut Seed Multiplication
Farmers in Gujarat have also played an important role in expanding the cultivation of high oleic groundnut varieties across the state.
Working closely with Khedut Feeds and Foods Pvt. Ltd., a Gujarat-based agro-processing company, farmers participated in large-scale multiplication of Girnar 4 and Girnar 5 seeds during 2021 and 2022, thereby strengthening the availability of high-oleic planting material for wider adoption.
Through the company’s Saurashtra Peanut Project, farmers were also introduced to improved agronomic practices, including seed treatment, organic fertilizer application, and awareness sessions on high oleic groundnut cultivation.
“High Oleic peanuts are also known as ‘long-life peanuts’ because the natural substitution of oleic acid for linoleic acid significantly extends shelf life while preserving quality,” shared Mr Tushar Tumar of Khedut.
“This is a unique opportunity for farmers to benefit from a fair share of growing market demand.
"It creates advantages across the value chain — snack food manufacturers can reduce packaging costs, confectioners can lower pre-coating requirements, peanut butter manufacturers can minimize stabilizer use, and overall product wastage declines due to improved shelf-life stability.
“High oleic peanuts also open valuable export opportunities for farmers,” noted Mr Tumar
From Groundnut Fields to the Kitchen Shelf
Beyond its industrial applications, high oleic groundnut is now creating value directly for consumers. A recent example is Navirah, a premium high oleic peanut oil brand derived from the Girnar varieties, which has made its way onto supermarket shelves in Rajkot and Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The brand exemplifies how agricultural innovation can be translated into healthier food choices and new market opportunities.
While the industrial applicability of high oleic groundnut is an added advantage, one of the more recent developments is the emergence of ‘Navirah’, a brand of high oleic peanut oil from these Girnar varieties, has now reach supermarket shelves in Rajkot and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Navirah, a Gujarat-based processing enterprise, is helping connect the last mile from farmers’ fields to consumers.
Produced in an FSSAI-licensed cold-pressing facility in Gujarat, the extra virgin high oleic groundnut oil is gradually gaining traction among quality-conscious consumers seeking healthier edible oil alternatives.
The journey from scientific innovation to consumer adoption also required building trust at the household level.
“When high oleic groundnut varieties were first introduced in India in 2020, consumer awareness around ‘high oleic’ oils were still limited, and dedicated supply chains for such products were largely absent.
"We worked closely with farmers and processors to establish consistent sourcing systems while refining cold-pressed production methods suited to the Indian market,” shared Rahul Patel of Navirah.
Positioned between low-cost refined oils and expensive imported oils, Navirah Oil is carving out a distinct category that combines familiarity, affordability, and improved nutritional value.
Reflecting on this transition, Rahul Patel noted, “Seeing Navirah reach actual kitchens has been the most satisfying part of the journey.”
Partnerships Driving Impact
Describing the innovation as a powerful example of science delivering real-world impact, ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak said the story of high oleic groundnut oil demonstrates how science, policy, and industry can converge to transform everyday food systems.
“The success of high oleic groundnut shows what is possible when scientific innovation is aligned with consumer needs and market demand.
“It has created a win-win outcome, providing healthier options for consumers while generating greater value for farmers.
“This success reinforces ICRISAT’s commitment to scaling innovations that improve lives and strengthen agri-food systems through the power of partnerships," said Dr Pathak.
The development of high oleic groundnut was supported by the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), Government of India, and strengthened through collaboration with ICAR–Indian Institute of Groundnut Research (IIGR) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), helping bring the innovation from research plots to large-scale cultivation.
Parkavi Kumar