Description

Abstract: Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and economically dependent on subsistence agriculture. Although the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is not a major crop, it contributes substantially to Haiti’s farm cash income. The average annual production is 30,000 tons of peanuts, 46.5% of which are sold immediately after harvest, and 44.9% stored for subsequent sale after six months to generate a two-fold revenue. During recent years, small-scale processing of peanuts has increased in order to promote consumption of locally grown peanuts. Although traditional products such as dry roasted peanuts are manufactured, the focus has been to produce peanut products that contain ethnic spices and flavors. One example is ‘pistache candy’. It is prepared from unskinned peanuts that are roasted then coated with a mixture of sugar, honey, anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and vegetable oil. There are also peanut butter-type products, locally called ‘mambas’. Mambas are prepared from ground, roasted peanuts, and may be flavored with sugar (7-8% sucrose), or chopped, ripe pimiento peppers (Capsicum annuum), but contain no stabilizers. Manufacture of all products involves manual operations only. The pistache candy is packaged in sealed polyethylene bags, whereas the mambas are sold in plastic tubs with unsealed snap-on lids. This paper will address the effects of post-harvest practices and processing operations on safety and quality (instrumental and sensory) of the products. It will also provide results from conjoint, cluster, and multinomial logit analyses of data from market simulation studies on these products, and identify potential market segments to which these products could be targeted.