Peanut butter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peanut butter is a food paste made from ground roasted peanuts. It is popular throughout the world and used mainly as a sandwich spread.

Contents 1 History 2 Health 2.1 Health benefits 2.2 Health concerns 3 Other uses 4 References 5 External links

History

Evidence of modern peanut butter comes from US patent #306727 issued to Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec, in 1884, for a process of milling roasted peanuts between heated surfaces until the peanuts reached "a fluid or semi-fluid state." As the product cooled, it set into what Edson described as "a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment."

J.H. Kellogg, of cereal fame, secured US patent #580787 in 1897 for his "Process of Preparing Nutmeal," which produced a "pasty adhesive substance" that Kellogg called "nut-butter."

Health

Peanut butter, smooth style, without salt Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 590 kcal   2460 kJ
Carbohydrates     20 g - Starch  4.8 g - Sugars  9.2 g - Dietary fibre  6 g   Fat 50 g Protein 25 g Water 1.8 g Alcohol 0 g Caffeine 0 mg
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

Health benefits

Peanut butter may protect against a high risk of cardiovascular disease due to high levels of monounsaturated fats and resveratrol; butter prepared with the skin of the peanuts has a greater level of resveratrol and other health-aiding agents.^[1] Peanut butter (and peanuts) provide protein, vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, arginine,^[2] and high levels of the antioxidant p-coumaric acid.

Plumpy'nut is a peanut butter based food used to fight malnutrition in famine stricken countries. A single pack contains 500 calories, can be stored unrefrigerated for 2 years, and requires no cooking or preparation.^[3]

Health concerns

For people with a peanut allergy, peanut butter can cause reactions including anaphylactic shock which has led to its banning in some schools.^[4]

The peanut plant is susceptible to the mold Aspergillus flavus which produces a carcinogenic substance called aflatoxin.^[5] Since it is impossible to completely remove every instance of aflatoxins, contamination of peanuts and peanut butter is monitored in many countries to ensure safe levels of this carcinogen. Average American peanut butter contains about 13 parts per billion of aflatoxins, a thousand times below the maximum recommended safe level.^{[citation needed]}

Some brands of peanut butter may contain a small amount of added partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are high in trans fatty acids, thought to be a cause of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and stroke; these oils are added to make the butter easier to spread. Natural peanut butter, and peanuts, do not contain partially hydrogenated oils. A USDA survey of commercial peanut butters in the US did not show the presence of trans fat.^[6]

At least one study has found that peanut oil caused relatively heavy clogging of arteries. Robert Wissler of the University of Chicago reported that diets high in peanut oil, when combined with cholesterol intake, clogged the arteries of Rhesus monkeys more than butterfat. [Atherosclerosis 20: 303, 1974]

Peanut butter can harbor salmonella and cause salmonellosis, as in the salmonella outbreak in the United States in 2007.^[7] In 2009, due to mishandling and apparent criminal negligence at a single Peanut Corporation of America factory in Blakely, Georgia, salmonella was found in 46 states^[8] in peanut-butter-based products such as crackers, peanut-butter cookies, and dog treats. It has claimed at least nine human lives as of 17 March 2009 (2009 -03-17)^[update], and made at least 691 people sick in the United States.^[9][10]

Other uses

A common, simple outdoor bird feeder can be made by coating a pine cone once with peanut butter, then again with birdseed.^[11]

Peanut butter is an effective bait for mouse traps.^[12]

References

External links

• The National Peanut Board
• The federal "Peanut Butter Law" in the U.S.
• The USDA's Commercial Item Description for peanut butter and peanut spread (PDF) (Last accessed 3 September 2008)