Production and Uses
How is peanut oil produced?
Peanut oil is extracted from the seeds of the homonymous plant (Arachys hypogea L.), with a yield that varies between 40 and 50%.
From the seeds, the oil can be extracted by pressure or more commonly through chemical solvents. Various more or less intense rectification processes follow, to give the product acceptable organoleptic characteristics.
In less refined products, cold pressed, very small quantities of proteins may remain, however sufficient to trigger allergic reactions in hypersensitized subjects.
Features
Employments
Food uses
Precisely because of this particular flavor, peanut oil is used as table oil and in the industrial production of margarine and mayonnaise.
For the production of margarines, the "peanut oil must" undergo a partial hydrogenation process, which aims to saturate the double bonds to reduce the fluidity of the food; the so-called trans fatty acids originate from the hydrogenation process, which have a negative impact on blood cholesterol levels.
Peanut butter is obtained by grinding the seeds, with minimal addition of partially hydrogenated fats to improve their stability; therefore, generally, its pasty consistency is not due to the aforementioned hydrogenation processes, but to the presence of finely ground peanuts.
Other Uses
The residual panel, very rich in proteins, if of good quality and not contaminated by aflatoxins, is widely used in the feeding of livestock.
Peanut oil also finds space in the pharmaceutical industry, as a vehicle for fat-soluble active ingredients in parenteral dressings, and in the cosmetic sector, where it is used to produce various soaps and detergents.
Nutritional Properties
Looking at the acidic composition of peanut oil, the high content of oleic acid stands out, making it a better choice for frying than many other vegetable oils; moreover, it reduces their susceptibility to rancidity.
The content of linoleic acid, the progenitor of omega-six fats, is also excellent, while as for most of the seed oils, alpha-linolenic acid, the progenitor of the omega-three series fats, is scarce.
The vitamin E content is also discreet (about 19.1 mg of tocopherols per 100 ml of peanut oil). These characteristics, together with the absence of cholesterol and the reduced content of saturated fats, make peanut oil a valid aid in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as long as it is consumed with sobriety and in partial replacement of animal fats (lard, butter , lard, cream, etc.).
Furthermore, given the lack of omega three fatty acids, "peanut oil must" necessarily be inserted in a food context sufficiently rich in fish and / or vegetable oils in which these nutrients abound (hemp oil, canola oil, of linseed and safflower oil).
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