Peanut

Peanuts are packed with healthy fats and high-quality protein. They’re also fairly high in calories.

Description :

Peanut is an important crop grown worldwide. Commercially it is used mainly for oil production but apart from oil, the by-products of peanut contains many other functional compounds like proteins, fibers, polyphenols, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which can be added as a functional ingredient into many processed foods. Recently it has also revealed that peanuts are excellent source of compounds like resveratrol, phenolic acids, flavonoids and phytosterols that block the absorption of cholesterol from diet. It is also a good source of Co-enzyme Q10 and contains all the 20 amino acids with highest amount of arginine. These bioactive compounds have been recognized for having disease preventive properties and are thought to promote longevity. The processing methods like roasting and boiling have shown increase in the concentration of these bioactive compounds. In the present paper an overview on peanut bioactive constituents and their health benefits are presented.

Keywords: Peanut, Functional ingredients, Health benefits

Introduction

Peanuts or “groundnuts” as they are known in some parts of the world are the edible seeds of a legume. India is second largest producer of peanuts in world, with total production of approximately 7.131 million metric tons per year (USDA, PS&D database 1996–2000). Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is technically considered as pea and belongs to the family (fabaceae) of bean/legume. Although a legume; it is generally included amongst the oilseeds due to its high oil content. Peanuts are rich in protein, oil and fibers (Suchoszek-Lukaniuk et al. 2011). Apart from oil, peanuts are widely used for production of peanut butter, confections, roasted peanuts, snack products, extenders in meat product formulation, soups and desserts.

There are thousands of peanut cultivars around the world. Certain cultivars groups are preferred for particular uses because of differences in flavor, oil content, size, shape, and disease resistance. For many uses the different cultivars are interchangeable however, the most popular cultivars are Spanish, Runner, Virginia and Valencia. Most peanuts marked in the shell are of the Virginia type, along with some Valencias selected for large size and the attractive appearance of the shell. Spanish peanuts are used mostly for peanut candy, salted nuts, and peanut butter. Most Runner cultivars are used to make peanut butter (Woodroof 1983). China leads in production of peanuts, having a share of about 45 % of overall world production, whereas India has (16 %) share and the United States of America has (5 %) (USDA 2015)

Peanuts are consumed all over the world in a wide variety of forms, most of which are traditional cuisine. Peanuts are being used as the complete dietary source for people on expeditions to diverse areas like Antarctica, space and trekking. It has notably been the source of elimination of malnutrition amongst the population in many African countries in the recent years (Guimon and Guimon 2012).

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History of peanuts : 

The history of peanuts dates back to the times of the ancient Incas of Peru. They were the first to cultivate wild peanuts and offered them to the sun God as part of their religious ceremonials. They used to call peanuts as ynchic. The modern history of peanut popularization began with the civil war of the 1860s in America. George Washington Carver who is known as the “father of peanut industry” as he developed more than three hundred products derived from the peanut (Carver 1925).

Peanut butter was created in the 1890s by the St. Louis physician as the soft protein substitute for people with poor teeth. In 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented a “Process of preparing nut meal” and used peanuts to serve the soldiers. According to John Mariana’s ‘Encyclopedia of American food and drink,’ a process for roasting shelled peanuts in oil was developed in the early 1900s and packed in the airtight bags under the “Planters” label. Rosenfield J licensed his invention to the pond company, the makers of peter pan peanut butter, in 1928, Rosenfield began making his own brand of peanut butter, this was the beginning of commercialization and popularization of peanut butter in the America which gradually spread all over the Europe and Asia.