Method of producing a slurry from peanuts and crop foods

Abstract

Crop foods such as peanuts, soybeans, peas, and the like, are ground and processed in a rapid, continuous, in-line production system. The food material is converted into a thermally processed slurry rapidly by mixing the ground food with hot water and steam and then quickly cooling the slurry, preferably in a vacuum chamber. The heat treatment stops the activity of enzymes which normally produce undesirable flavors and odors in mixtures of water and ground peanuts and other foods. The rapid cooling treatment prevents damage to protein content and simultaneously strips away any raw peanut flavor that may have developed. The continuous process produces a slurry of peanuts, or the like, without the characteristic raw peanut flavor, and the bland slurry can be further processed by drying to produce a useful food product such as flour, food extender, or the like. The apparatus includes a feed pump for extruding ground nuts onto a screen in a primary mixing chamber into which steam and water are fed selectively to form the slurry. A secondary mixing chamber connects to the primary chamber and includes a rotary pump that both blends the slurry and advances it towards a vacuum chamber where the slurry is rapidly cooled.