PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF PEANUT BUTTER DURING STORAGE

Peanuts have been recognized as evaluable source of vegetable protein, therefore the acceptability, physical and chemical properties of peanut butter prepared using different formulas, were determined. The results showed that the addition of sugar, salt and lecithin improved the flavour and overall acceptability of peanut butter. Casein caused a remarkable increase in protein content when added to peanut butter. Minerals differ very slightly among the different peanut butter formulas, although calcium and phosphorus content of peanut butter increased slightly as a result of the addition of casein. The creaming stability was higher for the peanut butter containing casein. The addition of casein and lecithin increased the shelf life of peanut butter and caused a greater value of oxidative stablility which was determined as thiobarbituric acid (TBA).