Project Number: 6645-43440-009-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 01, 2006
End Date: Sep 21, 2008

Objective:
Development of handling methods including harvest date and curing techniques and procession methodology for moisture removal from peanuts that impact both farmers' stock curing and shelled peanut blanching and roasting.

Approach:
Activities involved in the production and optimum harvest of peanut will be incorporated into integrated studies of moisture removal using new microwave technology. Microwave technology will be utilized toward development of a continuous flow farmers' stock (inshell) peanut curing method as well as applied to blanching and potentially the roasting of shelled peanuts. Optimally harvested peanuts will be used to evaluate time and power protocols for removal of moisture from farmers' stock and shelled peanuts. Peanuts will be evaluated by compositional and quality methods, volatile analysis, and descriptive sensory analysis.