Groundnut Meal: Scientific Interventions for Achieving Superior Quality of Protein

Groundnut is protein rich oilseed crop widely grown in India for its pods and oil. Several by-products are obtained from crushed and harvested groundnuts such as groundnut meal, skin, hull, and vine. Groundnut meal is sixth common meal obtained from groundnut after oil extraction followed by soybean meal, sunflower meal, rapeseed meal, palm kernel meal, and cottonseed meal. Groundnut meal contains 35–45% crude protein which has high protein digestibility. Protein concentrates or isolates extracted from the groundnut meal are usually prepared to be used in food formulations. Different methods are used to extract the protein from groundnut meal such as alkali extraction trailed by isoelectric precipitation, acid extraction, alcohol precipitation, hot water extraction, ultra-sonic extraction, enzyme extraction etc. Superior quality of groundnut-based meal protein could be used as emulsifying, foaming, thickening, and gelling agent in food industries. Groundnut meal has the health beneficial properties which can replace meat protein in various food formulations and will produce various novel food products for better health especially for vegetarians.