Abstract SCHIRACK, ANDRIANA VAIS. The Effect of Microwave ...

INTRODUCTION
Peanuts are an important crop in the United States, with an annual production
of 4.26 billion pounds in 2004 (NASS, 2005). The most common use of peanuts is
crushing for oil and meal. The oil can be used for cooking and as a salad oil, while
the defatted meal can be processed into protein concentrates and isolates. In the
United States, a large percentage of peanuts is used for manufacturing peanut
butter and confections. The unique flavor of roasted peanuts drives product
marketing in the peanut industry. This flavor is the result of genetics, handling,
storage, and processing factors (Sanders et al., 1995). As a result, there is an
interest in the effects of production techniques on peanut flavor (Baker et al., 2003;
Singleton and Pattee, 1992; Singleton and Pattee, 1991; Osborn et al., 1996;
Didzbalis et al., 2004).
A peanut seed consists of two cotyledons and the germ, and is enveloped in
a seed coat, or testa. The blanching of peanuts, or removal of the testa, is done for
several reasons. Blanching removes the seed coat, which may interfere with further
processing into specific products, and reduces enzyme activity and moisture
content, which are factors impacting subsequent quality (Adelsberg and Sanders,
1997). Blanching aids in the electronic color-sorting removal of damaged or
discolored seeds, which are associated with aflatoxin contamination (Sanders et al.,
1999). Blanching also is used to remove foreign material and dust (St. Angelo et al.,
1977).
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