Improved peanut flour for a reduced-fat peanut butter product

A commercial peanut flour (12% fat) was mixed with water (30% w/w),homogenized and drum-dried in a double drum dryer. The drum clearance was adjusted to result in thin dried sheets which on milling resulted in a very fine, single banded particle size flour. The flour was no longer gritty and was used to dilute fat by mixing with full fat (52.5%) paste to obtain a 30% fat reduction in the peanut butter product. Response surface methodology RSM, was used to optimize drum temperature (T), speed (S), and clearance (C) in order to minimize stickiness and hardness, maximizing oil separation and particle size. Based on surface responses and contour plots, optimum conditions were: T = 135 degrees C, S = 1 rpm and C = 0.33 mm. Optimum values predicted by RSM for peanut flour particle size, peanut butter stickiness, hardness, and oil separation were: 49.65 mu m, 12347 N, 311.4 N and 6.87% respectively. Close agreement between experimental and predicted values was obtained.