CA1108924A - Process for making hydrated peanut products and products made thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

TITLE - Process For Making Hydrated Peanut Products And Products Made Thereby ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

Shelled peanuts, preferably blanched, are cooked water for a time sufficiently to gelatinize starch and coagulate proteins and also inactivate enzymes while destroying micro-organisms. The cooked nuts are then fragmented into particles as by dicing for relatively large particles, or by grinding, for small size particles to make paste or, with drying, to make flour, for example. The particulate product, as a flour, may be used for baking or may be added to water to form mild substitutes.
Shredded and diced nuts so treated may be used as food extenders, fillers and the like. The resulting product is of high protein content characterized by a long shelf life and extremely flexible with respect to water content.

Description

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1.~ Field:Of The Invention Thls lnvention relates generally to processes for making hydrated peanut products and more particularly is directed , : towards~a new and improved proc~ss for makin~ peanut products in a wide range of peanut-to-water ratios.

2. Descr ption 0~ The Prior Art ~ ~ :A considerable amount of work has been done with respect to the processing of natural peanuts in different ways in ordcr -, '' ~ .

to achieve various peanut based food products, Peanuts are recogniæed-as an excellent source of nutrition, are relati~ely low in cost, plentiful and provide the important food components of oil, protein and carbohydrates. One well-known product is that of peanut butter which is produced by shelling, roasting, blanching and then grinding the nuts into a paste~ .
Other peanut products include peanut flour which is made by grinding nuts into a powdex and ext~acting a substantial amount of oil so that the ground nuts do not agglomerateO This provides a finely ground peanut product that 1S easy to handle and useful in the production of numerous food products often as - a subs.titute for wheat flour, soy beans or the like.
Whole peanuts have also been produced with a low fat content by pressing and reconstituting the nuts as disciosed in U.S.
patent No. 3,294,549 entitled ''Partially Defatted Nut Meats And Process" by Vix et al, Such nuts are characterized by hi~h prote~n and low calorie content, These nuts are useful not only as food products in themselves but also may be used as starting material in other products such as flavored nuts of the sort shown in my U.S. patent No, 3,645,752 entitled "Method Of Making Stabilized ~mpregnated Peanuts"~
One particular disadvantage of prior art processes, espe-cially with xespect to those that are directed towards the production of peanut flour or other particulated peanut products, is that they have relatively little control over the moisture content of the nuts. For example, in the Mitchell patent No.

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3,689,287 there is shown a method of producing peanut-water dispersions stabilized by heat wherein the peanuts are first finely ~round with or without water and then additional water is required to form a ~luid suspension. The suspension is then ~cooked to thicken and stabilize it. This -technique involves a minimum moisture content of the cooked dispersion of about 50%
thereby requiring a drying process of the ground nuts ox slurry in order to produce a dry flour material, Another disadvantage of previous techniques is that after grinding and adding water, lo the suspension mus't be immediately heat-treated ~o stop the actions of enzymes and microorganisms, Even so, there may be some adverse effect during the short per,iod of solids-water contact before the heat treatment.
, Accordingly, 'it is an o~ject of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for making hydrated peanut products. Another object of this invention is to provide a process for producing a variety o ground peanut products having virtually any desire moisture content. Still another object of this invention is to provide a process for making particulated peanut products having a long shelf life, and a material which may be provided in various conditions of particle size as well as moisture content for a wide range of uses.

SUMMARY OF THE I~ NTION

This invention features a method of making hydrated peanut products and the products made by such process, comprising the ,: :

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~,i steps of coo~ing shelled peanuts in wet heat for a time suffi-cient to gelatinize starch and coagulate proteins. The cooked nuts are then ~ragmented to any desired particle size either in the cooking medium or after draining, depending upon the end product whether it be a dry flour or ~ milk-like substance, for example The cooking step prior to fragmentation allows full control over the moisture con~ent of the end product which may be finely ground into flour, shredded, or diced, fox example.

DETAII,El) DESCR IPTION OF
THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
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In the preferred embodiment o~ the invention, shelled peanuts are first blanched as by use of machines of the sort shown in U.S~ patents 3,196,914 and 3,Z17,764 w~erein shelled nuts are passed first through slitters which slit the skin o~
the nut. The nuts are then dehydrated to cause the skin to curl from the slit prior to being fed onto a blanching machine ln which a moving belt carries the nuts in individual streams against diagonally extended abrasive baffles which rub off the nut skin without splitting or breaking the nut. The peanuts' hearts or germs may also be remoYed from the pe~nuts by known means in order to avoid the bitter flavors which they contain and which otherwise miyht detract ~rom the flavor of the finished product.
The blanched nuts Are then presse~ to remove a substantial amount of their natural oil. The processes for carrying out the 39~

pressing opera~ion are disclosed in V.S. patent 3,294,549 and essentially involve subjecting peanuts t having a 3% to 8% by weight moisture content, to pressing as in a hydraulic press under pressures on the order of 2000 to 5000 p.s.i~, for example. This pressing step remo~es from Z0 to 90 weight percent, and preferably 50-55 weight percent, of the oils causing them to become physically distorted. rrhis is done without any appreciable breakage of the nuts and the distorted nuts may be reconstituted to substantially their original size and shape by subjecting them to immersion in water, or other aqueoùs vehicle. Once reconstituted, the nuts may be dried to ~ provide a partially defatted high protein nut m~at.
Blanched, pressed peanuts with 50~55% of the oil removed contain:
38-41% protein 31-34% oil (fat3 16-18% carbohydrates 5 - 7% moisture 3 - 4% ash Thus the calorie~content--is notably reduced while increasing the protein value.
~he pressed peanuts may be used whole, or may be yround into a meal or flour, either raw or roasted. They may also be cooked by boiling in water and processed ~urther by chopping, dicing, slicing, shredding or grinding ~or unique uses in a variety of food products~ These cooked pressed peanuts are 92~ ~i especially versatile in that they ~re quite ~land in flavor, and are able to contribute body, texture, and water and fat binding capacity in addition to their nutritive quali~ies.
Typical analyses fox raw and roasted parti~lly deatted 5peanut meal or flour are as follows~
RAW ROASTED
Moisture 6~4% 1.5%
Fat ~Oil) 31.2% 32O~%
Protein 41.~o/O 43.4%
Crude Fiber 2.5% 2.8%
Ash 3.5% 3~8%
-- Nitrogen Free Extract 15.0% 15.7 Protein Solubility98.2% 88.2%
The partially defatted, high protein, nut meat, in ; 15 accordance with the present invention, is then cooked by wet heat which may be done either in an open vat o~ water, in a pressure cooker with water or by steam. In any event, the nuts are cooked in a wet environment for a time sufficient to gelat-inize the starch and coagulate the proteins of the nuts to form a tightly bound structure of peanut solids, oil and water, even when finely ground The cookinq treatment further inactivates enzymes and destroys microorganisms that would adversely affect the product quality Cooking temperatures in the range of 150F
to 300F may be used and for pressure or steam cooking temperatures above 212F are re~uired.

In practice, the co~king time is variable depending upon the temperature and on the desired moisture content of the end product. Thus, the time may range from 5 minutes or less to l hour or longer, Preferably, they should be boiled at lea~t for lO minutes. The use o~ wet hFat, whether water or steam, permit~ lowçr temperature trea~ment than would be possible with dry heat and, further, this procedure inactivates the enzymes.
In the preferred mode of the invention, open vat at-mospheric pressure cooking is utïlized and, ~ypically, three parts of water by weight, are used for every one part of nuts, by weight. The nuts are boiled for one hour at 212~ This cooking process results in the nuts absorbing water gradually thereby allowing a very high level of control over the moisture content of the end product~ Since the technique provides much better control by selectively varyîng the cooking time and temperature over the moisture content a much greater variety of form and particle si~e is possible in the cooked pr-oduct ; After the cooking treatment, the nuts are then comminuted ; as by chopping, dicing, slicing, shredding or grinding to a course or fine~ particle size, as desired The fragmenting may be done within the cooking water itself by pouring the coo~ed nuts together with the water through a grinder to procure a nutritious peanut milk, for example. Depending upon the original water-to-nut ratio the end product can be modified by draining or partially draining the nuts and then grinding them into a pas~e~ If a dry e~d product is desired, the nuts are fully , ~

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drained after cooking and then comrninuted to whatever particle size or shape may be desired~ The drained nuts may be ground into a course or fine powder to produce peanut ~lour which is free of agglomerates and is free-flowing thereby being easy to handle for various food purposes such as a partial wheat flour re~lacement for bakery products.
Since ~he hydrated nuts would have a higher moisture content than normal, a drying step must be added where a dry end product is desired. Various drying techniques may be used such as spray drying, heat drying or the like. The various peanut particle forms lend themselves to uses in a variety of - food products depending upon texture, appearance and function desLred~ For example, the chopped, sliced or shredded product may be employed as a substitute for coconut, for example, while the paste may ~e used as high protein thickeners or bases for soups, sauces and gravies as well as in comminuted meat pxoducts such as hamburger, sausages, etc.
The finely ground paste may be further processed into a milk product or dried into a staple powder by a variety of frying operations including spray drying, freeze drying, drum drying or the like.
Inso~ar as the initial cooking steps by means of wet heat has essentially stopped enzyme action and destroyed microorganisms, the end product will have a long shelf life and the cooked nuts may be combined with water in a wide range of ratios or used in a fully dried condition thereby providing very great flexibility in the formation of the end product.

z~ s Instead of the partially defatted nut meats as the starting material ~ull fat peanuts may be employed in the initial cooking step using wet heat as the medium for gelatinizing starch and coagulating the proteins of t~e nuts. The cooked nuts are then comminuted in the same fashion as with the parti~lly defatted nuts with the resulting products being higher in oil content than in the case of the partially defatted nuts~
Set forth below are several examples of recipes which utilize pressed, boiled and ground peanuts processed according to the invention and which demonstrate the versatiiity of the process, - The peanuts are prepared by -~oiling raw, ~ressed (50-55%
oil removed~ peanuts with 3-4 times their weight of water in an open or partially closed vessel. Select a vessel large enough to contain the considerable foam that will be produced. Do not completely cover the vessel during boiling, or foaming will be excessive. If desired, acceptable antifoam agents may be used n Ater boiling begins, reduce heat to a slow to medium boil, Boiling time is variable, depending on_the amount of hy-dration desired. Most recipes give best results when the nuts are fully hydrated, or absorb almost an equal weight of water~
This requires a boiling period usually of at least 1 hour. Lesser boiling times produce less water pickup and may be preferred if the nuts are to be shredded ko pr~duce a simulated coconut product, for example. In any case, boiling times of at least 10 minutes are desired to destroy microorganisms, inactivate enzymes, 92~ ~

coagulate proteins and starches, and eliminate the green raw tasteO
After boiling, the nuts are cooled~ drained, and then ground, chopped, sliced, diced or shredded ls desired. The hydrated peanuts should be kept in closed containers until used to prevent moisture loss and bacterial contamination. If they axe not to be used immediately, théy should be refrigerated~
in which case they may be safely stored ~or up to 48 houxs.
For most recipes, the hydrated peanuts should be ground fairly fine, producing a thick, viscous paste A food chopper ox grinder with a plate containing 3 mm or smaller holes is satis~actory~
The quantities specified in the receipes are for the product after boiling and grinding The fully hydrated peanuts, after boiling for about 1 hour, contain approximately 50~/~ moisture, 16% oil and 20%
protein.

Example 1 P OTATO CA~OE S
Estimated Protein Content: 10% with peanuts, 1% without pean~ts 2,000 GM
INGREDIENT k_AT~ GMS
Pressed, Boiled, Ground Peanuts 47.0 940 0 Mashed Potatoes 47.0940.0 Salt 2.0 . 40.0 Starch, Mira Cleer 300 2 0 40.0 Starch, Binasol 81 (pregelatinized) 2.0 - 40.0 100.~2000.0 Q~r- 10-v Grind through plate with 3rnm holes or srnaller.
Peel raw potatoes and cook in boiling watex until they are soft and tender~ Drain and dis~ard water. Mash or grind the potatoes until as finely ground as the peanuts.
S Mix all ingredients and foxm lnto round flat cakes about 10mm thic~;-each-cake weighing about 35 grams. Fry ~uic~ly~in shallow hot oil, turning to brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper and serve immediately while hot.
The two starches serve to bind the mixture together and to reduce oil absorption during drying~ Other staxches rnay be substituted to perform the same functions .
Example 2 BEEF PATTIES
; Pressed, boiled, ground peanuts may be added to ground beef in varying proportions, provlding less shrinkage and loss of meat juices, a more tender texture, and improved 1avor acceptance. Best results are obtained from beef patties con~aining 25% of the ground cooked pressed peanuts over 100%
beef patties.
Grind the peanuts through a plate with 3mrn holes or smallerO Prepare patties with each patty weighing about 25 grams, as follows:

WITH 25% PEANU~rS
371.25 grams ground beef 123.7S grams pressed, boiled, ground peanuts 5 grams salt ., ' , 39;;~

Mix ingredients well, and form into pa~tiesO I~ desi~ed, these may be preparea ahead of time and frozen, separating the patties with waxed paper.
Fry the patties on lightly greased . grill or skillet.
Since the protein-and ~at content c~f the cooked, pressed peanuts is vir~ually the same as in ground bee, the addition of the peanuts results in no significant chance in protein and fat percentage. Estimated Protein Content: 20~o Example 3 .

BREAD
:~ Estimated Protein Content: 9% with peanuts, 7% without peanuts INGREDIENT % 2-LOAF BATCH
Actlve Dry Yeast .49 .7 grams Water 4 05 58 grams Milk, Scalded 32 15 ~60 grams ~ Sugar 1.82 26 grams : Salt .91 13 grams Shoxtening .84 12 grams Si~ted All-Purpose Flour 53.73 769 grams Peanut Flour 6.01 -86 grams 100.00 1341 grar~s TOTAL

Soften yeast in water (38C). Cornbine hot milk, sugar, salt, and shoxtening. Cool to 30C.

Stir in 1/3 of the flour; beat well. ~dd the softened yeast; mix. Add enough of rernaini'ng flour to maké a moderately stiff aough. Turn ou~ on lightly floured surface; k~ead t-ill....
smooth and.satiny..(8-lo minutes~,,,Shape. i~ a ball; place in -liyhtl~ greased bowl,. turning once to grease ~urface. Cover;
let rise in warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours). Punch down and let it rise again until double (about 45 minutes).
Cut the dough in two portions, Shape each portion into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, Then shape it 1,0. into loaves; place the loaves in two greased loaf pans (22xllx6.cm) and let rise until double ~about 1 hour~, ~ake in hot oven (205C) 35'minutes or until done. If tops brown too fast, cover the loaves with aluminum foil during the last 20 rinu ~-s, ;

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The method of making comminuted hydrated peanut products, comprising the sequential steps of (a) first, mechanically blanching shelled whole peanuts at ambient temperatures and in a dry condition, whereby the skins are fully removed therefrom, (b) then, adjusting the moisture content of the blanched nuts to 3% to 8% by weight and pressing the blanched whole nuts under pressure of 2000 to 5000 psig to remove a substantial portion of the fat therefrom without breaking the nuts, (c) cooking said whole and partially defatted blanched peanuts in the presence of plain water in a weight ratio of at least 1 part nuts to 3 parts water at a temperature between 150° F, and 300° F, under pressure when at temperatures above the boiling point for a period of ten to sixty minutes to gelatinize the starch and coagulate the proteins in said peanuts and hydrate the peanuts to a pre-selected moisture content whereby the nuts absorb an amount of water substantially equal to the weight of the nuts, (d) then, draining the cooked nuts, and, (e) then, comminuting the cooked peanuts.