Peanuts

Peanut is usually eaten as it is, by cracking them with firm pressure between fingers or using clippers, or nutcracker machine. The nuts can also be enjoyed roasted, boiled, salted, or sweetened. They are nutty, yet pleasantly sweet in taste. Roasting enhances taste, augments antioxidants levels like p-coumaric acid, and helps remove toxic aflatoxin. Boiled peanuts possess unique flavor and taste. Boiling, in fact, enriches their nutritional and antioxidants profile. Peanut butter is a food paste made from ground-roasted nuts, with or without added oil. It is popular throughout the world and commonly used as spread. Peanut-milk is also a popular lactose-free milk like healthy drink. Peanut oil is another healthy source of edible cooking oil like soy or olive oils. It is widely used in cooking for its aromatic flavor, especially in many South Indian states and Sri Lanka. Roasted and crushed nuts often sprinkled over salads, desserts, particularly sundaes and other ice cream based preparations. Peanut “chutney” or paste, made from these nuts, chili peppers, salt, coriander leaves, garlic and mustard seeds, is a popular preparation among south Indian, Sri Lanka region. Roasted and split nuts are a great addition onto tossed salads. Safety profile Peanut allergy is a type of hypersensitivity response in some people to food substances prepared using these nuts. The resultant over-reaction of the immune system may lead to severe physical symptoms like vomiting, pain abdomen, swelling of lips and throat leading to breathing difficulty, chest congestion, and death. It is therefore, advised to avoid any food preparations that contain peanut products in these individuals. Peanuts are one of the crops that are susceptible to fungal (mold) infection, especially by aflatoxin producing member aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin is a very powerful and dangerous known carcinogen that may cause liver cirrhosis and cancer. Roasting helps to reduce the toxin levels in these nuts and thus offers some protection against aflatoxin. ( Source: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/peanuts.html