Stabilization of additive-free peanut butter

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Peanut butter represents a multimillion-dollar business in Canada, with 78% of Canadian households consuming it weekly. Though smooth and chunky peanut butter dominate the market, there is increasing demand for the so-called 'all-natural' variety that consists only of ground peanuts. Unfortunately, this peanut butter suffers from oil separation given the absence of additives to counter this defect that is considered visually unpleasant by many. Processors commonly add tropical oils such as palm or fully hydrogenated vegetable oil to prevent oil separation. Though delivering a stable peanut butter, such an approach is more and more frowned upon as decades of research have recommended lowering intake of saturated fats. Customers are also increasingly aware of the quality of the food they consume. When compounded with nutrition labelling on food packaging, there is a push for processors to eliminate all ingredients that consumers do not recognize or desire. In conjunction with Kraft Heinz Canada, this Alliance grant application aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of natural peanut butter oil separation, and to develop scalable strategies to prevent it that can be readily transferred to the partner. The proposed approaches are based on adjusting the properties of the peanuts themselves, rather than including ingredients that are not label-friendly.The benefits of this research project include: new scientific knowledge (rather than anecdote and empiricism) to control the texture/shelf life of 'all-natural' peanut butter, exceptional industrially-relevant student training opportunities, and solutions that are aligned with the growing importance placed by the Canadian consumer on making healthy choices based on the Nutrition Facts panel on food products, which is driving continued improvements by the food industry to reduce additives in processed foods.