Description

Abstract: Peanut butter samples containing various levels of stabilizer (0.0 to 2.0%) in fresh and stored conditions were subjected to texture and viscosity tests using Instron Universal Testing machine and Brookfield viscometer, respectively. In both tests, only the stabilizer level was found to significantly affect the texture firmness and viscosity of peanut butter. The two tests were unable to track the subtle changes that occurred in fresh peanut butter samples during the period of network formation at 26 C. However, pre-warming of the fresh sample to 35 C resulted in increased sensitivity in texture analysis. From the storage conditions and stabilizer concentrations studied, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% levels were found to be adequate in stabilizing peanut butter samples at 35 C for three months.