Valorization of Peanut Skin: Development of Functional Skin-on Peanut Butter and Quality Characteristics

Peanut skin, a by-product of the peanut processing industry, is typically disposed of as an inexpensive agricultural by-product. However, peanut skin is a rich source of bioactive compounds that can be used to enrich foods that are better for your health and provide more nutrition. Therefore, this research article focuses on the valorisation of peanut skin by developing functional skin and its addition into peanut butter with improved nutritional value and sensory quality. The study explored the effect of pressure-cooking on the development of peanut skin-fortified peanut butter and studied its physicochemical, functional and organoleptic characteristics. The results indicated that adding peanut skin significantly improved the colour attributes ( L* = 40.73–44.76, a* = 4.35–5.57 and b* = 7.83–12.43) and phenolic content. Different processing conditions like pressure cooking improved the phenolic contents and anti-oxidant activities of peanut butter. Moreover, rheological properties and textural properties have been increased with the application of moist heat treatment. Functional peanut butter had increased viscosity and hardness but decreased spreadability and oil separation compared to the control. Sensory evaluation showed that the skin-on the product had desirable sensory attributes, including appearance, flavour and overall acceptability. The study concludes that incorporating peanut skin into peanut butter enhanced its functional and nutritional properties without compromising sensory quality. These findings provide valuable insights for the food industry to develop healthier and value-added peanut butter products with different treatment methods. Graphical Abstract