Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and 96 percent, depending on the type of peanut and the growing conditions. At
maturity the plants are dug or plowed out of the ground and the nuts collected and
dried. Equipment for digging, removing soil, and inverting the peanut plants with
nuts attached is available for large-scale production. Turning plants after digging
allows for some drying of nuts in the field, which is essential for storage.
6.11.4 Postharvest Handling
Within limits there is an inverse relationship between peanut moisture content and
storage. The dryer the peanut the longer it can be stored without damage. Peanuts
dried to 6 to 8 percent moisture and left in the shell can be stored for a year or more
without cooling if they are protected from moisture, insects, and rodents. Shelling
can be done by hand or by threshers of various types; however, losses will occur if
the nut is too dry when shelled.
6.11.5 Nutritional Characteristics
Peanuts are eaten fresh, boiled, or roasted either in the shell or shelled; see also Table 6.6.
They may also be ground to produce peanut butter and to extract the oil, which is a high-
value product. They may also be part of main dishes at meals or eaten as snacks. Use as a
snack is particularly common in all areas where peanuts are grown.
Peanuts are an excellent food as they contain both a high amount of protein and
provide a high energy content, in the form of oil with around 25 percent protein and
49 percent oil. They also contain a relatively low carbohydrate content, 16 percent,
and add significant fiber, 8 percent, (these figures are on a raw basis). They are rela-
tively high in minerals and B vitamins but low in other vitamins.
6.11.6 History
Peanuts, which originated in South America, are also called groundnuts. The name
peanut is used almost exclusively in the United States while internationally the term
groundnut is most commonly used. They are not nuts and are very different from
true nuts and coconuts in that they are produced by an annual, low-growing, legume
(Fig. 6.32). The edible seed (the “nut”) inside a fibrous shell is shown in
Figure 6.29. There are many other types of similar groundnut-bearing plants in
Africa, but none is as widespread as is the peanut, which is produced on all continents
and from tropical to temperate climates.
6.11.7 World Production
World peanut production is greatest in tropical, subtropical, and the warmer temperate
regions of the world. By far the largest producers are China and India followed by
Nigeria and the United States (the U.S. Department of Agriculture places the
United States third rather than fourth). The major exporters are China, Argentina,
and the United States. However, only about 5 percent of world peanut production
is traded.
