We at Frontline Food Consultants and Engineers assist you in the manufacturing of packed and processed peanuts. We provide assistance in site selection and analysis, and licenses, and permits help us facilitate you with a legal process of large-scale peanut processing. Our dedicated food business consultant pool of services includes assessment and sourcing of plant and machinery for processes such as roasting, frying and seasoning, packaging equipment and logistics. In addition, we have the architectural & structural Design services and facilities for our clients.
Some of the services we offer are Process and Mechanical Engineering services where from taking the raw material through processing a Peanut can be processed ready for packing. We get involved in the installation and commissioning of equipment and also major utilities such as water, power and steam systems as they are crucial in a process. This we do in conjunction with setting up Food Safety and Sanitation Programs that will help us supply and store your peanut products to the desirable safety standards and for a reasonable period of time.
What are Roasted Peanuts?
Roasted and Fried Peanuts as well as Spice Packaged Peanuts are then cooked peanuts or peanuts covered with spices ready for consumption after packing in hermetic packets for long ages. Essentials of Indian cuisine are applied while preparing these peanuts that are well packed to provide different flavor and textures that fits different customers. It also popular due to its very high protein content and it can be prepared with only roasting it or spiced roasting.
Among the specialized peanuts that require special equipment the peanut roasters which are used in roasting peanuts at the right temperature. Cooking equipment for cooking peanuts includes seasoning and flavoring equipment for salting or adding other spices to peanuts and mixing and seasoning equipment that ensures that the seasoning covers all the peanuts evenly. The roasted peanuts have to be cooled before they are packed with the help of the below conveyors as the peanuts can continue to cook. Scales and portioning systems used make portion sizes the same. To avoid spoiling peanuts, companies pack them in tins or plastic bags after being filled and sealed by packing machines. Control procedures for roasting include time temperature and standard deviations of the product to yield quality roasted peanuts in every batch.
Category of Packed And Processed Peanuts
- Roasted Peanuts: Shelled nuts specifically, dry-roasted peanuts with or without the inclusion of salt have a crispy taste and an extremely long shelf life.
- Masala Peanuts: Seasoned nuts that come with spice ingredients that are well coated on peanuts and include spices like chili powders, turmeric and cumin.
- Fried Peanuts: Cooked through frying and then roasted peanuts become tastier when seasoned with salt and spices.
- Coated Peanuts: Vegan peanuts coated with very thinly beaten chick pea flour and spices then fried to form a hard outer shell with spiced gram flour.
Methods of Packing and Processing Peanuts
- Raw Peanut Preparation
- Peanut Sorting and Cleaning: Such stages as washing off stones, and dust and elimination of cracked or broken nuts from the raw form constitute a clean peanut. Deculming, which is mechanical or water washing of peanuts is popularly used for washing of peanuts.
- Blanching (Optional): Some types of peanuts particularly the roasted or fried ones are first skinned by blanching the peanuts. It is carried out by roasting the peanuts after which the peanuts undergo hot chamber and bladders where the skins are peeled.
- Roasting or Frying
- Dry Roasting: For instance, roasted peanuts, peanuts are placed in a large industrial-sized roasters where it takes 15-30 minutes to heat at a temperature of between 160- 180 ° C. This process actually makes it crispy and can actually even enhance the nutty flavor in the nut itself. The last step is where redistribution of time in relation to that of giving the crispness needed on the commodities is done.
- Frying: In fried peanuts and coated peanuts, the peanut is fried in cooking oil at temperatures of 320-345°F till make outer skin is crunchy. When fried they are debearded again in an effort to reduce the amount of oil placed on them and thus avoid greasiness.
- Flavoring and Seasoning
- Spice Coating: He pointed out that in the production of masala peanuts and coated peanuts spices are put on the peanuts after roasting or frying. Seasoning drums also make sure that the peanuts get coated with a blend of spices of chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt. For the coated peanuts their batter consists of gram flour and spices after which the peanuts are put in the batter and fried.
- Oil Spraying (Optional): Spraying of a light oil is also used to help the spices to stick to the peanut as well as to boost the spice content.
- Cooling and Packaging
- Cooling: Before packing peanuts reach the packing lines, they are conditioned at ambient temperature by conveyorized cooling methods after roasting or frying. If at all the snacks are not cooled to the right temperature, then there will be a loss of crispiness as much as there will be a build up of moisture.
- Packaging: Peanuts when harvested are either stored in a polythene airtight polythene bag or any container to displaces moisture to prevent stale peanuts. MAP or nitrogen flushing is also used in shelf life management because it prevents the oxidation process while at the same time slows down the growth of molds on the peanuts.
- Vacuum-Sealed Packaging
- Objective: Accomplish increased sales and ensure customers do not be confronted with stale products.
- Materials: Stacked and translucent polymeric films characterized by high barrier properties against oxygen and moisture.
- Benefits: It also helps to enable the preservation of the peanuts and other ingredients in the correct texture and smell since exposing peanuts to air for long period will make the nuts become soft or even develop rancid smells.
- Modified atmosphere packaging refers to MAP Modified Atmosphere Packaging
- Objective: For instance, increase the product’s shelf life by evacuating the oxygen inside the packaging material and then filling it with an inert gas.
- Materials: Extrusion films have the barrier property along with nitrogen purging to remove oxygen.
- Benefits: MAP also assists in the preservation of the texture and taste of peanuts for a longer time than if they are stored under normal atmospheric conditions due to oxidative rancidity in high fat-containing foods such as peanuts.
- Environmental Friendly Packaging Services
- Objective: Be specific with proper packing materials that will be appealing to the modern consumer who is a conscious citizen of the earth.
- Materials: BPlastic films that can be recycled, paper-based pouches that can be reused or biodegradable-based material packets.
- Benefits: These sustainable packaging choices help meet consumer preference for environmentally friendly designs and allow the protection of the product and extend the shelf life of the peanuts.