Chapter 13 – Peanut Products as a Protein Source: Production, Nutrition, and Environmental Impact

Over the past 100 years, peanuts and peanut products have become an increasingly common food staple in the United States and around the globe. This chapter explores the role of peanuts as a source of nutrition and a plant-based protein alternative. In addition, the environmental impacts associated with the production of peanuts are also explored. Peanuts are grown in a number of regions around the world, and their postharvest life cycle stages include drying, grading, shelling, and endpoint product preparation. Peanut products can provide a dense source of nutrients, and tend to have high concentrations of proteins and amino acids. The emerging knowledge suggests that the climate change and water use impacts of peanut production are lower than other plant-based and animal-based protein sources that are currently available in the marketplace. We are just beginning to measure sustainability impacts across agricultural products, but peanut production, processing, consumption, and disposal are looking very promising across most metrics.