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The Effect of Roasting on Color, Flavor, and Texture of Peanut Butter

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Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Specialty items: Mortar and pestle to grind peanuts. The mortar should be at least 5 inches in diameter. Raw peanuts can be purchased in some grocery stores or can be ordered online.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is required to roast the peanuts. Students who have peanut allergies, or who live with others who have such allergies, should avoid this project.
*Note: For this science project you will need to develop your own experimental procedure. Use the information in the summary tab as a starting place. If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help troubleshooting, use the Ask An Expert forum. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions and offer guidance if you come to them with specific questions.

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Abstract

Peanut butter is a popular ingredient in sandwiches, cookies, and many other common foods. In this cooking and food science fair project, you will roast peanuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 20, 30, and 40 minutes to produce variable levels of color and flavor. Roasting not only adds complex flavors to the peanuts, but it also destroys enzymes that produce off-flavors.

Each lot of roasted peanuts will be used to make a batch of peanut butter. You will evaluate each batch of peanut butter for flavor, texture, and color. You can also compare your homemade peanut butter with commercially produced peanut butters.

The experimental procedure for this project was developed and field-tested by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). A detailed Student Activity Sheet describing the experimental procedure is available on the IFT website. See the bibliography for the link to the IFT.

Bibliography

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "The Effect of Roasting on Color, Flavor, and Texture of Peanut Butter." Science Buddies, 17 Aug. 2020, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p027/cooking-food-science/effect-of-roasting-on-color-flavor-and-texture-of-peanut-butter. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2020, August 17). The Effect of Roasting on Color, Flavor, and Texture of Peanut Butter. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p027/cooking-food-science/effect-of-roasting-on-color-flavor-and-texture-of-peanut-butter


Last edit date: 2020-08-17
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