Peanut oil

One of the first native North American sources of vegetable oil, the peanut is comprised of about 50 percent oil. This oil is extracted by pressing steam cooked peanuts.

In primary resetting, the peanuts are often shelled, roasted and mashed, followed by boiling of the mash in water and subsequent skimming of the oil as it arises to the surface.

Peanut oil may be refined by addition of sodium hydroxide to remove the free fatty acids, the alkaline precipitate producing ‘foots’ which is removed by centrifugation.

Peanut oil is high in monosaturated fat and has the advantages of having a relatively high smoke point (410 °F).

The main fatty acids in peanut oil are oleic acid (45-53%), linoleic acid (27-32%) and palmitic acid (11-14%). This oil specifically has long-chain saturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acid (1-2%), behenic acid (1.5-4.5%) and lignoceric acid (0,5%-2.5%).

Tocopherols concentration in peanut oil ranges from 130 to 13000 ppm with the composition of alpha-tocopherol (47-65%) and gamma-tocopherol (30-50%).

Peanut oil keeps well when stored in a cook dark place. However, its shelf life is longer when it is refrigerated.
Peanut oil