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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Market Quality and Handling Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285049
Title: Compositional and Mechanical Properties of Peanuts Roasted to Equivalent Colors using Different Time/Temperature Combinations

Author
item MCDANIEL, KRISTIN - North Carolina State University
item White, Brittany
item Dean, Lisa
item Sanders, Timothy
item Davis, Jack

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2012
Publication Date: 12/10/2012
Citation: Mcdaniel, K.A., White, B.L., Dean, L.L., Sanders, T.H., Davis, J.P. 2012. Compositional and Mechanical Properties of Peanuts Roasted to Equivalent Colors using Different Time/Temperature Combinations. Journal of Food Science. 104: 329-335.

Interpretive Summary: Peanuts are typically dry roasted to a specified surface color for a given food application; however, it is possible to obtain equivalent colors using different temperatures. This simple observation led to the overall goal of this research which was to determine if peanuts roasted to equivalent surface colors using different temperatures are equivalent from a quality perspective. Several compositional and textural measurements important to product quality differed based on the temperature used to achieve a given roast color. Overall, this study suggests there is good potential to optimize peanut quality by simply adjusting the time/temperature profiles during roasting.

Technical Abstract: Peanuts in North America and Europe are primarily consumed after dry roasting. Standard industry practice is to roast peanuts to a specific surface color (Hunter L-value) for a given application; however, equivalent surface colors can be attained using different roast temperature/time combinations, which could affect product quality. To investigate this potential, runner peanuts from a single lot were systematically roasted using five roast temperatures (147 ºC, 157 ºC, 167 ºC, 177 ºC, and 187 ºC) and to Hunter L-values of 53±1, 48.5±1, and 43±1, corresponding to light, medium and dark roasts, respectively. Moisture contents (MC) ranged from 0.41% to 1.70% after roasting. At equivalent roast temperatures, MC decreased as peanuts became darker; however, for a given color, MC decreased with decreasing roast temperature due to longer roast times required for specified color formation. Initial total tocopherol contents of expressed oils ranged from 164 to 559 µg/g oil. Peanuts roasted at lower temperatures and darker colors had higher tocopherol contents. Glucose content was roast color and temperature dependent, while fructose was only temperature dependent. Soluble protein was lower at darker roast colors, and when averaged across temperatures, was highest when samples were roasted at 187°C. Lysine content decreased with increasing roast color but was not dependent on temperature. MC strongly correlated with several components including tocopherols (R2=0.67), soluble protein (R2=0.80) and peak force upon compression (R2=0.64). The variation in characteristics related to roast conditions is sufficient to suggest influences on final product shelf life and consumer acceptability.