Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter

The peanuts are first shelled and cleaned. They are then roasted at 425°F (218°C) for 40-60 minutes either a) on trays in an oven, the nuts being turned by hand from time to time or b) in equipment similar to that used for roasting coffee. This small rotary roaster (Figure 1) allows each nut to become uniformly roasted.

Practical Action Southern Africa Example of equipment sold in the light engineering workshop - Peanut Grinding Machine. Download the full PDF version to see this picture/table/diagrams.

After roasting the nuts will be well browned and the skins loose. After cooling, it is necessary to remove the skins by gentle brushing, an inspection will allow the manual removal of discoloured and other rejected material. Traditionally women pounded the nuts between stones, a very time consuming activity. Now nuts are often ground in a mill that may be powered by hand or with a motor. The type of mill used will depend on the scale of production, The milling process may have to be repeated to obtain the desired texture.

Salt may be added at this stage; about 2% by weight. A special anti-oxidant chemical may be added to prevent rancidity, which will develop after a few months. However, to start with the product will probably by sold very soon after manufacture. The peanut butter is then packed in jars.

The type of peanut butter produced by this process is of the 'crunchy' variety, and adjustments on the mill can produce varying textures. For the very smooth paste a more sophisticated milling process is required, with the high levels of heat being produced during milling causing difficulties.

To avoid separation of the oil and the settling out of the solids within the peanut butter after few days of storing, the preservative called glyceslmonsterode (GMS) can be added to the at 2-3% by weight. It is suggested that all of the GMS is added to a small amount of the peanut butter and then this is mixed into the main batch of the produce