How to Prevent Oxidation & Darkening in Peanut Butter

Darkening and oxidation of peanut butter is easy to prevent.

Oxidation and darkening of peanut butter are common problems that occur as peanut butter slowly deteriorates.Oxidation in peanut butter occurs mainly in the unsaturated, liquid oil in the peanut butter as it is exposed to more and more oxygen. Darkening of the peanut butter is a result of the increased interaction between the sugar and the protein in the peanut butter over time. Oxidation and darkening of peanut butter are both easily preventable with simple manufacturing and storage techniques.

Things You'll Need

• Stabilizer
• Sealable glass jars

Instructions

1. Roast the peanuts for no longer than 60 minutes at 300 degrees. According to the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program, the longer peanuts are roasted before processing, the more they darken over time.

2. Add a stabilizer to peanut butter to slow its oxidation rate. The most commonly used stabilizers are partially/fully hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or mono- and diglycerides of vegetable oil. The type and amount of stabilizer added to peanut butter is largely a matter of choice and taste. However, the USAID reports that traditional amounts are between 3.25 and 5.5 percent stabilizer by volume. Add stabilizers to peanut butter at the end of the manufacturing process. Heat the peanut butter to the melting point of the chosen stabilizer before adding it (usually between 140 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit).

3. Store peanut butter in tightly sealed (vacuum-sealed if possible) jars in the refrigerator to reduce the occurrence of oxidation after manufacturing. Stored in this manner, peanut butter remains viable for roughly nine months.

References

• United States Agency for International Development: Peanut Butter and Spreads
• The World's Healthiest Foods: Peanuts