Complete Technology Handbook on Peanuts Processing with Product Development and Project Profiles (Characteristics, Utilization, Physiology, Nutrition)

Complete Technology Handbook on Peanuts Processing with Product Development and Project Profiles (Characteristics, Utilization, Physiology, Nutrition) (Engineers India Research Institute, ISBN 9788189765651) covers groundnut from field cultivation through to protein isolates, oil and finished snack products.

Agronomy sections cover agro-climatic and soil requirements, field preparation, seed quality and treatment, bunch and semi-spreading varieties, propagation, intercultural operations, harvesting, yield and post-harvest management, with cost and profit analysis. Nutrient sections cover liming purpose and particle size, macronutrients and micronutrients with deficiency symptoms, diagnosis and control measures for each, bio-fertilizers, cropping systems, nutrient-efficient genotype selection and polythene mulch technology. Further sections cover irrigation by drip, furrow and sprinkler with scheduling, moisture sensing and fertigation, weed control by mechanical, chemical and thermal routes with tank-mix efficacy and phytotoxicity data, disease and pest management, and breeding covering genetics, genomics, molecular markers, association mapping and trait selection for drought, leaf spot, rust, rosette and aflatoxin resistance.

Aflatoxin and mycotoxin sections cover pathogen biology, regulatory standards, detection and sampling procedure, pre-harvest mitigation through resistant varieties, irrigation timing, biocontrol, insect management and early harvesting, and post-harvest mitigation through storage conditions, equipment sanitisation, packaging, lot segregation, density segregation, kernel sizing, blanching and electronic colour sorting.

Processing sections cover cleaning, shelling technology and equipment, grading and storage, roasting and continuous dry roasters, oil extraction by ghani, expeller, pre-press and full-press routes with solvent extraction, filtering, refining and packaging, oil oxidation stability and antioxidant selection, pesticide residue behaviour during processing, peanut butter production by single and double stage methods, salted peanut manufacture with licensing and standards, protein concentrate, isolate and oligopeptide technology, by-product utilisation from meal, skin, hull and vine, allergen management, and four project profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Complete Technology Handbook on Peanuts Processing cover?

The Complete Technology Handbook on Peanuts Processing (EIRI, ISBN 9788189765651) covers groundnut across the full value chain. Its main divisions are: peanut agriculture, nutrient management, irrigation, weed and disease control; breeding, genetics and germplasm resources; aflatoxin and mycotoxin management; grading, cleaning, shelling and storage; peanut oil extraction, refining and quality; protein concentrate, isolate and oligopeptide technology; peanut butter, roasted and salted peanut manufacture; by-product utilisation; regulatory requirements for domestic and export trade; and four project profiles with capital and turnover figures.

Who is this peanut processing handbook written for?

This handbook is written for readers who need technical detail across cultivation and processing rather than general agricultural guidance. Its intended audience includes groundnut processors and oil millers, peanut butter and snack manufacturers, exporters managing aflatoxin and quality compliance, food technologists working on plant protein, agricultural scientists and extension officers, students of food technology and agronomy, technical libraries, and consultants preparing project reports for a peanut processing unit.

Who should consider starting a peanut processing business, and why?

Peanut processing suits entrants located in or near a groundnut growing belt, since raw material cost and freight dominate the economics and proximity also gives better control over incoming quality. The sector offers an unusually wide product ladder for a single crop: shelling and grading at the simplest level, then roasted and salted peanuts, peanut butter, oil extraction and refining, and at the technical end protein concentrates, isolates and oligopeptides that command far higher value than commodity kernel. Domestic demand is growing for peanut butter and protein products, India is a significant exporter, and the by-products of meal, skin, hull and vine carry their own markets rather than being waste. The constraints require honest assessment. Aflatoxin is the defining risk in this crop and can render a consignment unsaleable, so sorting, moisture control and testing capability are not optional overheads. Raw material price and availability swing with monsoon and acreage. Export requires APEDA registration alongside FSSAI licensing and buyer-specific quality parameters that are often tighter than statutory limits. And oil extraction competes against large established millers, so many smaller entrants do better in value-added snack or butter segments than in commodity oil.

How does the book address aflatoxin control in peanuts?

Aflatoxin is treated as a dedicated subject rather than a footnote. Coverage includes the biology and identification of the producing pathogen, regulatory limits for aflatoxin content in food, contaminated product categories, detection methods and the sampling procedure used for contamination testing. Pre-harvest mitigation covers resistant varieties, timely irrigation, commercial biocontrol products and RNA interference sprays, calcium application, insect management, early harvesting, crop rotation, cultural practices and weed management. Post-harvest mitigation covers storage conditions, equipment sanitisation, packaging, separation of infected and healthy pods, lot segregation, screening, density segregation, kernel sizing, electronic colour sorting with and without blanching, kernel moisture control, aflatoxin risk forecasting for early harvest decisions and biological control.

What peanut oil processing technology does the book explain?

Oil processing is covered through the full extraction sequence: cleaning, shelling, grading, crushing, rolling or grinding, steaming or cooking, pressing, filtering, refining, and packaging with labelling requirements. Both pre-press and full-press routes are covered alongside solvent extraction, with equipment detail for ghani mills, baby expellers, oil expellers, filter presses, screw conveyors, collection tanks, refining and solvent extraction machinery. Quality content covers oil composition analysis, antioxidant activity, Rancimat kinetic parameters, volatile compound analysis, oxidation stability and the effect of antioxidant type, dose and synergist selection, along with a study of residual pesticide levels through oil processing and chips frying.

Does the book cover peanut protein and value-added products?

Yes, in technical depth. Protein sections cover peanut protein powder processing with ultrafine grinding and microwave sterilisation, textured protein, protein concentrate preparation by single and secondary leaching with orthogonal experimental optimisation, and protein isolate manufacture through grinding, leaching, prefiltration, acid isolation, separation, washing, modification, sterilisation and drying. Component fractionation covers arachin and conarachin preparation by ammonium sulfate precipitation and low-temperature cold precipitation. Oligopeptide sections cover enzymolysis conditions, degree of hydrolysis, desalination, ultrafiltration, antioxidant activity and ACE inhibition for antihypertensive effect. Product sections cover peanut butter, roasted and salted peanuts, groundnut milk, yoghurt, dahi, cheese, tofu, bars, sweets, composite flours, protein film and nutraceuticals.

What licences and standards apply to peanut processing in India?

The book covers both domestic and export requirements. Domestic content covers FSSAI registration eligibility, the online procedure, documents required and the licensing flowchart, along with packaging and labelling requirements including vegetarian declaration, food additive declaration, net quantity, batch identification, manufacture and best before dating, and general hygienic requirements including recommended light intensity for a processing facility. Export content covers the criteria for grant of registration for peanut processing units through APEDA with its registration flowchart, ISI standards for hand-picked selected kernels, CODEX standards for peanuts and microbial parameters prescribed by the American Peanut Council. Readers should verify current limits and procedures with FSSAI and APEDA before shipping.

What project economics does the book provide?

Four project profiles give economics, each covering land and building, plant and machinery, fixed capital, monthly working capital requirement, total capital investment and annual turnover. The projects are: honey coated cashewnuts, peanuts and other nuts; peanut milk, kefir, flavoured milk and beverages; a peanut products plant; and roasted and salted almonds and peanuts. The book also references the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme in connection with peanut butter production, which is relevant to smaller units seeking support.