Surprisingly, peanut butter, as we know it today, has only been around since the 1880s. The first recipe for the classic PB&J sandwich was published in 1901 in the cleverly titled Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics.
Peanut butter is made from peanuts, which are technically legumes, even though they are often referred to as nuts. This is because they grow underground. The runner peanut is the variety most commonly used in production.
From a nutritional standpoint, peanut butter is a great source of protein, which is essential for building and repairing muscles. It also provides healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Today, the global peanut butter market is worth billions. But how is peanut butter produced? For instance, what does the manufacturing process look like?
What is the story behind the invention of peanut butter?
It’s believed that the Inca and Aztec civilizations of modern-day South America were the first to grind peanuts into a paste. However, the peanut butter we recognize today can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, involving at least three notable individuals. The first was Canadian Marcellus Gilmore Edson, who patented peanut paste in 1884. In 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, known for his cereal innovations, patented a method for producing peanut butter, although his version was made from boiled peanuts rather than roasted ones. Dr. Ambrose Straub, a former Kellogg employee, invented a machine for making peanut butter and patented it in 1903.
Over the following decades, production techniques improved and recipes were refined. This leads us to wonder: how is peanut butter produced in factories today?
Ingredients for Peanut Butter
The fundamental components for various kinds of peanut butter are generally similar: Peanuts; Oil; Salt; and Sweeteners. Although the specific recipes may vary from one producer to another, the overall process is quite consistent. It all starts with peanuts.
Planting
To produce a 500g jar of peanut butter, approximately 565 grams of peanuts are needed. This equates to about 1,100 individual nuts. So, where do these peanuts originate? India and China are the leading producers, with the US following in third place. Peanuts are usually planted in April or May and develop from a yellow flowering plant that bends downwards, allowing the peanuts to grow underground.
Harvesting
The peanuts grow beneath the surface and are harvested from late August to October. Mechanical pickers are used to detach the nuts from their vines, and they are shelled by machines. Once they have been thoroughly cleaned and any leftover dust, stems, empty shells, and other debris have been eliminated, they are sent to the processing facility.
Roasting, Cooling & Blanching
After the peanuts are sorted mechanically by size and shape, we can delve into the essential steps of peanut butter production. The peanuts are dry roasted at 160°C for up to an hour, then cooled with suction fans until they reach 30°C. Following this, they undergo blanching using either heat or water.
Heat blanching entails heating the nuts to around 137°C for 20 minutes to crack the skins. The skins are then removed through a gentle rubbing action between brushes. The bitter peanut hearts are eliminated by screening.
Water blanching, on the other hand, involves slicing the skins with blades, which are then removed by passing through a boiling water bath. Finally, they are dried using a stream of air for six to eight hours.
Grinding
We’ve nearly addressed the question of ‘how is peanut butter produced’, but there are still a few more steps to complete before it reaches your toast. The next stage is grinding. This is the process where the nuts are transformed into peanut butter. Initially, the nuts are ground into medium-sized chunks, and then they are processed further to achieve a smooth, fine consistency. For those who enjoy crunchy peanut butter, small pieces of nut, about an eighth the size of a whole peanut, are mixed in.
Next, the remaining ingredients – oil, salt, sweetener, and any other components from the manufacturer’s recipe – are incorporated. The mixture is then churned, resulting in the creation of peanut butter itself.
Packaging
Once the peanut butter is complete, it is cooled and vacuum-sealed in plastic or glass jars to prevent oxidation and ensure a long shelf-life. This marks the final step in the process of producing peanut butter.