The present invention involves methods for preparing a processed peanut product
containing high levels of peanut hearts material, with the peanut heart material
being substantially stripped of bitter taste so as to provide debittered peanut
hearts of comparable taste to actual peanuts or as being flavorless without adversely
affecting the taste of a foodstuff end product. The processed product includes
whole or fragmented peanut hearts and peanut heart powder processed using alkaline
wash, neutralization, and drying for inactivating enzymes and removing bitter flavoring
components. The peanut heart materials are debittered by adjusting the pH to about
8 to about 12 with an alkali material (e.g., sodium hydroxide) to solubilize the
protein content and release the bitter flavor compounds making it possible to separate
such compounds by ultrafiltration. The alkali treated peanut heart material is
neutralized with an acidic aqueous solution.
