Peanut Burger, Anyone?

For Immediate Release
August 28, 2001

Greensboro, NC: Peanuts are not just for snacks and peanut butter anymore, says a researcher from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, an assistant professor of food chemistry and biochemistry in A&T’s School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is leading a study to create and assess the potential of alternative forms of peanuts as protein sources.

At the center of his research is a byproduct of peanut oil – a cholesterol-free flour, the taste and texture of which can be altered.

“North Carolina is one of the nation’s leading producers of peanuts,” said Ahmedna. “Most of these peanuts are used in conventional products, such as peanut butter, peanut oil and shelled peanuts; however, the peanut is so versatile that we have only begun to tap its potential.”

To push the peanut toward its potential and consequently, help North Carolina peanut farmers prosper, Ahmedna has developed from the peanut oil byproduct a substance similar to ground beef. He believes that the product will appeal to vegetarians and those who want diets with lower cholesterol levels, as well as to the West African nation of Senegal, where meat sources of protein are scarce and where aflatoxin associated with peanuts is a particular health problem.

Ahmedna has recently traveled to Senegal, and is collaborating on the project with scientists from the Institut de Technologie Alimentaire in Dakar.

“The goal is to create an affordable and acceptable food product from an agricultural byproduct with little current value,” said Ahmedna. “If we can do this efficiently, we can provide an accessible food source for disadvantaged people, while creating a value-added market for our farmers.”

Although Ahmedna has yet to test the peanut product as a hamburger pattie, he has tested the substance as a ground beef substitute for use in tamales, chili and other ethnic foods. In these tests, typically held at food festivals, reviewers are asked to evaluate the product’s taste, texture and color.

“The results so far have been very encouraging,” said Ahmedna. “Of course, some people aren’t interested in an alternative to beef, but for those who are, we believe that we’re close to providing that alternative.”

Providing funding for Ahmedna’s work is the Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program, which is sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development and located at the University of Georgia.

According to the North Carolina Peanut Grower's Association, North Carolina produces 10 to 12 percent (450 million pounds) of the nation’s peanuts annually, on 7,000 farms covering 150,000 acres.

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