Peanuts, commonly known as groundnuts, are the edible seeds of a legume. However a peanut is really a pea and comes to the subfamily of the bean/legume group, it is frequently categorised as an oilseed because of its
substantial oil yield.
Protein, oil, and fibre are all abundant in peanuts. The methods used to extract the oil from other oilseeds are quite identical to the method used to extract oil. Before extraction, shelled peanuts are washed, dehulled, split, and heat and moisture treated. Usually, peanuts are crushed prior to extraction. Hexane oil extraction is the preferred technique for large-scale processors because of its substantial oil yield. Reduced oil yield is obtained by mechanical means.
Peanut oil contains fatty acids that largely depend on age, genotype, and development area. The essential aspect to think about in picking an oil for a particular application is the fatty acid content. Compared with numerous other popular oils including canola and soybean oil, regular peanut oil contains more saturated fats. It is one of the reasons why peanut oil is appropriate for high-temperature tasks like frying. While highly unsaturated oils are less durable and much more susceptible to oxidation, they are still better in comparison to saturated fatty acids.
The following characteristics make peanut oil an ideal frying oil:
- Peanut oil is usually used as frying oil due to its high smoke point. A crispy coating is made by little oil absorption if food is rapidly cooked at an elevated temp.
- Refined peanut oil is colourless, in comparison to crude oil's nutty taste. As a result, it has little effect on the taste of foods that have been prepared.
- During frying using peanut oil, the production of off flavours and odours is quite minimal.
- Peanut oil is more stable than many other regular vegetable oils, like typical soybean oil, due to its relatively higher content of saturated fats. As a result, peanut oil is more resilient to high ambient exposure to heat, which minimises the generation of harmful oxidatives.
