In this article we will discuss about the nutritional characteristics of groundnut.
Groundnut is a rich source of energy because of its high oil and protein. It can supply about 5.6 calories g-1 in raw from and 5.8 calories g-1 in roasted form. Apart from its high oil and protein, it contains 18 per cent carbohydrates. It is also a source of minerals and vitamins (Table 9.14).
Minerals like Ca, Mg and Fe, through present in higher levels are in unavailable forms. Major factor in favour groundnut is that it has a good digestibility in both roasted and raw forms. However, groundnut contains some anti-nutritional factors like trypsin and enterokeinase inhibitors.
Processed Foods:
Groundnut is a constituent of many household preparations. Some common preparations are chutney, dry powders, sweets and as an ingredient of fried rice and even chapaties.
Fresh pods, immediately after harvest are boiled in water with salt and consumed. Dry groundnut pods are roasted on hot pan for direct consumption of kernels. Dry groundnut kernels are roasted with salt and chili powder for direct consumption. Groundnut butter is a popular processed edible product in USA.
Groundnut Haulms:
These are widely used as cattle feed. Haulms are very nutritious feed for cattle. Digestibility of nutrients in haulms is around 53 per cent and that of crude protein is 88 per cent in animals. Haulms can release energy of 2,337 calories kg-1 of dry matter.
Expeller groundnut cake contains oil around 6 per cent. The residual oil is extracted through solvent extraction, leaving cake rich in protein, up to 60 per cent. The ground cake if free from aflatoxin and extraneous material is directly fit for human consumption. In India, the cake is mostly used as cattle feed or as concentrated organic manure.