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Peanut Facts

Peanuts, or "groundnuts" as they are known in som e parts of the world, are the

edible seeds of a legume,Arachis hypogaea, and they are high in protein, oil and

fiber. Peanuts produced i n the U.S. are mos tly used in food and confection

products, but more than 50 percent of the worldwide production is crushed for its

oil.

Industry Overview

World peanut production totals approximately 29 m illion m etric tons per year, with

the U.S. being the worlds third largest producer, after China and India. Worldwide

peanut exports are approximately 1.25 million m etric tons. The U.S. is one of the

worlds leading peanut exporters, with average annual exports of between 200,000

and 250,000 m etric tons. Argentina and China are other significant exporters.

Countries s uch as India, Vietnam and several African countries periodically enter

the world market depending upon their crop quality and world market demand.

Canada, Mexico and Europe account for over 80 percent of U.S. exports. The

largest US export markets within Europe are the Netherlands, the U.K., Germany,

and Spain.

Demand for peanuts in North America and Europe has been steady, although

competition within a dynamic snack market continues to put pressure on peanutsto compete with a growing range of products (potato chips, extruded snacks, tree

nuts, and baked snacks). In addition, quality specifications, food safety concerns

and im port requirements continue to require the implem entation of improved

monitoring and quality control standards at origin.

Worldwide Peanut Production

(million metric tons)

#1 China: 13,420,000

#2 India: 7,700,000

#3 United State 1,880,000

#4 Nigeria: 1,510,000

#5 Indonesia: 1,130,000

#6 Burma: 710,000

#8 Chad: 450,000

#9 Senegal: 450,000

#10 Ghana: 440,000

#11 Argentina: 420,000#12 Vietnam: 400,000

#13 Sudan: 370,000

#14 Congo, Dem 360,000

#15 Burkina Faso 320,000

#16 Guinea: 250,000

#17 Brazil: 220,000

#18 Egypt: 190,000

#19 Mali: 160,000

#20 Mexico: 90,000

Total: 30,470,000

US Peanut Producing Areas

In the US, seven states account for approximately 99 percent of all peanuts grown

in the U.S. Georgia (41 percent) grows the largest proportion of all peanuts

followed by Texas (24 percent), Alabama (10 percent), North Carolina (9 percent),

Florida (6 percent), Virginia (5 percent), and Oklahoma (5 percent). There areapproximately 25,000 peanut farmers in the major producing regions.

The peanut growing regions of the U.S. have direct access to port facilities of the

Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Current Reports in the Resource Libra ry at

Soyatech.com

Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2012

This annual report provides detailed information on the

U.S. market by category, sub-category, brand and

distribution channel.

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US Peanut Production

(1000 lbs.)

2003 2004 2005

Alabama 508,750 557,200 613,250

Florida 345,000 364,000 410,400

Georgia 1,863,000 1,817,800 2,152,500

Mississippi 44,800

New Mexico 45,900 59,500 62,700

N. Carolina 320,000 367,500 288,000

Oklahoma 98,000 102,300 105,600

S. Carolina 57,800 112,200 168,000

Texas 810,000 803,700 910,000

Virginia 95,700 104,000 66,000

United

States4,144,1 50 4,288,200 4,821,250

Seed Type & Common Varieties

U.S. peanuts fall into four bas ic types: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.

Each of these peanuts is distinctive in s ize and flavor.

Runner

Runners have become the dominant peanut type grown in the U.S. due to the

introduction in the early 1970s of a new variety, the Florunner, which was

responsibl e for a spectacular increase in peanut yields. Runners have rapidly

gained wide acceptance becaus e of their attractive kernel size range; a high

proportion of runners are used for peanut butter. Runners, grown mainly in

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, account for 80 percent of total

U.S. production.

Virginia

Virginias have the largest kernels and account for mos t of the peanuts roasted

and eaten as "inshells ." When shelled, the larger kernels are sold as salted

peanuts. Virginias are grown mainl y in southeastern Virginia and northeastern

North Carolina and West Texas. Virginia-type peanuts account for about 15

percent of total U.S. production.

Spanish

Spanish-type peanuts have sm aller kernels covered with a reddish-brown skin.

They are us ed predominantly in peanu t candy, with s ignificant quantities used for

salted nuts and peanut butter. They have higher oil content than the other types of

peanuts which is advantageous when crushing for oil. They are primarily grown in

Oklahoma and Texas. Spanish-type peanuts account for 4 percent of U.S.

production.

Valencia

Valencias usually have three or more sm all kernels to a pod. They are very sweet

peanuts and are usually roasted and s old in the s hell; they are excellent for fresh

use as boiled peanuts. Because of the greater demand for other varieties,

Valencias account for less than one percent of U.S. production and are grown

mainly in New Mexico.

Value-Added Products

Value-added products have been developed which have a number of applications

including bakery, confectionery and the general consumer market. Among these

are:

Peanut Flour

Made from raw peanuts which have been cleaned, blanched and electronically

sorted to select the highes t quality peanuts, the nuts are then roasted and

naturally processed to obtain a lower fat peanut flour with a s trong roasted peanutflavor.

Peanut flour is us ed in confectionery products, seasoning blends, bakery mixes,

frostings, fillings, cereal bars and nutritional bars. Because the flour is partially

defatted, it works well as a fat binder in applications such as confection centers.

Using peanut flour at a level of 4-8 percent in a formulation has been found to

extend the shelf life of confections and can contribute a peanut flavor to the

product. Peanut flour, because of its high protein content (45-50 percent), is a


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good protein source in addition to its function as a flavoring agent.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil is extracted from shell ed and crushed peanuts by one or a combination

of the following methods: hydraulic pressing; expeller press ing; and/or solvent

extraction.

Highly aromatic 100 percent peanut oil and peanut extract also are available.

These products have a s trong roasted peanut flavor and aroma. Sugges ted

applications for these products include flavoring compounds , confections, s auces

and baked goods.

Roasted Peanuts

Roasted peanuts are available in s everal different packages and roast variations.

Different coatings can be applied to the peanuts prior to and after roasting to

provide a variety of products including such flavors as honey, sm oked, sweet, hot

and spicy, and salty.

Peanut Butter

A variety of different peanut butter products is cu rrently availab le. Peanuts are

roasted, blanched and s orted before grinding into a creamy consistency. Peanut

butter produced in the U.S. contains a minim um of 90 percent peanuts;

sweeteners and s alt can be added to enhance flavor while sm all amounts of

stabilizers are used to prevent oil separation. The sm all amount of s tabilizer used

does not contribute trans fatty acids to the product. Peanut pieces can be added to

provide a crunchy style. Custom formulations also can be developed to modify the

texture or sweetness or to add flavoring.

Reduced fat peanut butters are als o available which provide a fat reduction of atleast 25 percent. Several different varieties are s old for both cons umer and

industrial us e with varying peanut content depending on the flavor and consis tency

of the product needed. Other modified formulations for peanut butter, peanut

spreads and peanut paste are available from mos t manufacturers.

Peanut butter is available in consumer-ready packaging or in institutional/catering

containers for use in bakery and confectionery products.

Peanut paste, which is 100 percent ground peanuts, is used in a variety of

industrial food recipes and is available from processors.

Further Resources:

The American Peanut Council: www.peanutsusa.com

American Peanut Shellers Ass ociation : www.peanut-shellers.org

Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association: www.ptnpa.org

The Peanut Institute: www.peanut-institute.org

Information for this Peanut Facts page was provided by The American Peanut

Council.

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