Chemistry

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Peanuts. The most attractive heart-healthy, anti-aging, and anti-cancer compound in peanut kernels is resveratrol, which is also found in red grapes and red wine.

What do they have in common?

Resveratrol content in commercial peanuts and peanut products was investigated for the first time on a large scale. Resveratrol content in roasted peanuts was 0.02 - 0.08 ?g/g and in peanut butter 0.15- 0.50 ?g/g. Boiled peanuts showed the highest concentrations from 1.80 to 7.87, which are comparable with resveratrol concentrations in red wines.

Peanut Skins. Peanut skins are an extremely low value by-product of peanut-blanching operations. Based on current world in-shell peanut production of peanuts, world production of peanut skins can be estimated at about 1 million tons annually. Research performed at the NPRL to find new uses for peanut skins demonstrated that up to 35% of edible oil in the skins can be recovered. After removal of the oil the skins were useful for making brandy, liquor, and tea. Skin oil extraction followed by tannin extraction also produced a protein-enriched product that could find applications in mixed feeds for cattle consumption at higher concentrations relative to existing practice. A simple technique was also offered to use the skins in finishing decorative panels.

The use of peanut skins is summarized in the following chart.

 

For more information contact Victor Sobolev.

 

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