DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ANEW PEANUT CURING PROCESS FOR WEST TEXAS

Abstract Peanut quality is a major concern in all phases of the peanut industry from production to manufacturing. Postharvest processing of peanuts can have profound effects on the quality and safety of peanut food products. Curing is a key Step in postharvest processing. Curing peanuts improperly can significantly reduce quality, and result in significant losses to both farmers and processors. The conventional drying system designed in the 1960's is still being used in the processing of the pean uts today (Figure I). The objectives of this paper is to design and develop a new peanut curing process for West Texas.