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About J. Peter Clark
Expertise
How various processed foods are made; ways to improve manufacturing; how to make a new food product.

Experience
Employment history: Research Engineer, U.S.Agricultural Research Service, Associate Professor Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Director of Research, Continental Baking Company, President, Epstein Process Engineering, Inc., Vice Presdent Technology, Fluor Daniel, Inc., Consultant to the Process Industries

Organizations: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Fellow) Institute of Food Technologists, American Association of Cereal Chemists, American Association of Candy Technologists, American Society of Agricultural Engineers,

Publications: Several Encyclopedias (Kirk and Othmer, Chemical Technology; Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition; Wiley Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology; Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems); five books, two book chapters; numerous journals.

Education: BSChE Notre Dame PhD University of California, Berkeley

Awards: AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award 1998

Clients: Major food processing and pharamaceutical companies.

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Food Engineering/Manufacturing - small peanut processing facility

Expert: J. Peter Clark - 6/14/2009

Question
We have a small farm in Central America and would like to process our valencia type peanuts into shelled, meals and oils. What are the processing requirements we need to perform for food grade quality and can it be done inexpensively? We have not built our facility so it can be scaled to the necessary size. Our peanut production is 150 acres of peanut with two growing cycles per year.

Thank you.

Answer
I have the impressssion that 150 acres is a good sized peanut farm. Yields of nuts are typiclly well over 1100 lb/acre in the US. The operations in peanut processing are: roasting, shelling, blanching (removal of red skin), grinding, pressing (for oil)and screening (for meal.)Companies such as Buhler, Bauermeister and G. W. Barth supply most of the equipment. Peanuts can be roasted in the shell or after shelling. Peanut butter is the major food product and involves mixing ground peanuts with salt, sugar and emulsifiers. I do not think the equipment is terribly expensive, but obviously it depends on the scale and how automated it is.

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