Key operations in the wet-rendering of peanut for the isolation of protein, oil and starch.

Separation of oil and suspended solids from
peanut slurry are two important interdependent
operations in wet rendering of peanuts. A 3-way
centrifuge cannot be used efficiently for the separation
of the different phases due to the large
volume of fibrous suspended solids in peanut
slurry. Removal of suspended solids from the
slurry by filtration is too slow and incomplete,
as the fine particles tend to block the screen.
The alternative method of centrifugal sedimentation
of the suspended solids causes emulsification
of the oil and results in the inefficient separation
of the oil. It is shown in the paper that
efficiency of the separation of oil and carbohydrate
fraction from peanut by wet rendering
method depends on careful conditioning of the
seed.