Peanuts, Arachis hypogaea, are one of the most widely consumed legumes globally due to its nutrition, taste, and affordability. Peanuts are protein and energy-rich and have been utilized worldwide to address the nutritional needs in developing countries. Currently, its role in a heart-healthy diet has warranted tremendous attention among consumer groups and within the scientific community. Additionally, current studies have identified the value in the phytonutrient composition of peanuts, such as resveratrol, isoflavonoids, phenolic acids, and phytosterols, which may enhance overall health and wellness. This article presents a comprehensive review of the nutritional chemistry of peanut components (macronutrients-proteins, lipids, carbohydrates; micronutrients-vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients) as related to health and use within the body. An improved comprehensive knowledge and better understanding of the nutritional chemistry of peanuts enables us to better harness the power of these nutrients in improved peanut products within the food and feed industry.

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Early feeding trials using peanut meal prepared from normal-oleic peanuts helped to identify peanuts as a suitable alternative feed ingredient for poultry. Yet no studies to date have examined the use of high-oleic peanuts ( HO-PN ) as a feed ingredient for meat type chickens. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of feeding whole unblanched HO-PN on the fatty acid profile of the meat produced from broilers. At hatch male chicks were randomly placed in raised wire cages, in 10 replicate pens per treatment with 10 chicks per pen, and fed with one of the 3 isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets ad libitum for 42 days: (1) conventional control of soybean meal + corn, (2) 10 to 12% HO-PN and corn diet, or (3) control diet spiked with ≈6.0% oleic acid oil. All body weights ( BW ) were collected, and broiler selection for processing was determined by individual BW within one-half a standard deviation of the experiment 42-D mean BW, with one bird selected per pen (10 replicate pens per treatment, 3 treatments, 10 birds selected per treatment, yielding a total sample size of 30 birds). Performance was determined weekly and breast samples were analyzed for fatty acid and amino acid profile. All data was analyzed using analysis of variance, with t-test mean comparisons at P < 0.05. BW were similar between broilers fed the HO-PN and control diet, while feed conversion ratio of broilers fed the HO-PN diet was significantly higher at weeks 2, 4, and 6 in comparison to the other treatments ( P ≤ 0.03). Broilers fed with HO-PN diet had reduced carcass and pectoralis major weights in comparison to the other treatments. Chicken breast from broilers fed the HO-PN diet had significantly reduced saturated and trans fatty acid content in comparison to the controls ( P ≤ 0.0002). Although additional studies must be conducted, this study suggests that feeding whole unblanched HO-PN to broiler chickens may serve as a means to enrich the meat produced with unsaturated fatty acids.

Diabetes affects at least 285 million people globally, and this number continues to increase. Clinical complications include impaired glucose metabolism, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Evidence has shown that natural phenolics play a protective effect on both the development and management of type 2 diabetes. This study evaluated effects of the extract from peanut skins containing polyphenols on induced- hyperglycemia using in vivo and in vitro methods. A human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) was used to investigate the effect of the peanut skin extract on cell viability after exposure to high glucose concentrations. In vivo , the effect of peanut skin extract on an oral glucose tolerance was investigated in human subjects. Fifteen participants aged 21–32 underwent an oral glucose tolerance test with five treatments: 1) 50-gram glucose solution (reference); 2). 50-gram glucose solution, followed by 12 mg of vegi-capsulated maltodextrin; 3) 50-gram glucose solution, followed by 120 mg of vegi-capsulated maltodextrin-encapsulated peanut skin extract; 4). 50-gram glucose solution, followed by 28 grams of unfortified coated peanuts; 5) 50-gram glucose solution, followed by 28 grams of chili lime coated peanuts fortified with encapsulated peanut skin extract. Glucose levels were measured using a continuous monitor. Peanut skin extract was found to attenuate the decrease in cell viability in high glucose treated HepG2 cells, showing a protective effect against hyperglycemia induced cell death. No difference in the glycemic response area under the curve between any treatments using the tolerance test, but the treatment of the peanut skin extract with the glucose reference resulted in a significantly lower peak blood glucose response at 45 minutes, indicating that it was effective at reducing the glycemic response. The present study shows that the phenolic extract of peanut skins has an antidiabetic effect, further confirming their value as a functional food ingredient.

Locally grown feed ingredients of high energy and protein content, such as peanuts, maybe economically feasible alternatives to corn and soybean meal in broiler diets. Even though normal-oleic peanuts have been demonstrated to be a viable feed ingredient for poultry, few studies to date have examined the use of high-oleic peanuts (HO PN) as an alternative feed ingredient for broiler chickens. Thus, we aimed to determine the effect of feeding HO PN on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility and intestinal morphology. Three isocaloric, isonitrogenous experimental diets were formulated with 1) dietary inclusion of ~10% coarse-ground whole HO PN; 2) a corn-soybean meal control diet with 5.5% added poultry fat; and 3) a control diet supplemented with 5.5% oleic fatty acid oil. Three-hundred Ross 708 broilers were randomly placed in 10 replicate pens/treatment with of 10 chicks/pen and raised until 42 d. Body weights (BW) and feed intake (FI) were determined weekly, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. Jejunum samples were collected at 42 d for histomorphometric analysis. Analysis of variance was performed on all variables using a general linear mixed model in JMP Pro14 (2013). Broilers in the HO PN group had lower (P &lt; 0.05) body weights and higher FCR, than other treatment groups at week 2 and week 6. There were no significant differences in jejunum villi surface area between the treatment groups. However, broilers fed the HO PN diet had greater (P = 0.019) apparent metabolizable energy relative to the other treatment groups, suggesting improved nutrient uptake of dietary fats and/or carbohydrates in the HO PN treatment group. However, additional studies are warranted to further define the nutritional value of HO PN as an alternative poultry feed ingredient.

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Current models of digestibility utilize pepsin stability to assess the safety of allergenic versus nonallergenic food proteins. Dietary protein digestion in vivo, however, requires acid denaturation and protease cleavage by pepsin, trypsin, and/or chymotrypsin. The ability of this approach to identify food protein stability in the mammalian gut may be limited. We determined the temporal stability and immunoreactivity of almond, pine nut, and peanut allergenic proteins under simulated physiologic gastric and intestinal digestive conditions in vitro. Gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses were used to determine protein stability and immunoreactivity, respectively. Peanut, almond, and pine nut proteins were pepsin- and pancreatin-stable and immunoreactive for up to 1 h after initiation of digestion. Moreover, successive acid denaturation and pepsin and pancreatin cleavage were necessary to hydrolyze these allergenic proteins and reduce their IgG- and IgE-binding capacity, which suggests that digestibility models must be improved for more accurate safety assessment of food allergens.