PEANUT BUTTER, 5 



give the product tlie desired snioothness. Peanut butter made en- 

 tirel}^ of Spanish peanuts is very smooth but contains too much oil. 

 It is possible by tlie use of an oil press to remove 8 or 10 per cent of 

 the oil from the cleaned Spanish meats before grinding them, thus 

 reducing the oil content to about the proper proportion. 



The shelled goods as received from the cleaning factory require 

 considerable hand picking and additional cleaning to render the pea- 

 nuts fit for grinding. 



FACTORY AND EQUIPMENT. 



The model peanut-butter factory consists of a four or five story 

 building equipjied with elevators, light, and power, with a rail- 

 road siding located at the rear of the factory for convenience and 

 economy in handling materials. In the smaller factories the entire 

 equipment is often placed on one floor. Here, however, a greater 

 portion of the work must be done by hand, and it is impossible to take 

 advantage of a gravity system of delivering the goods from one 

 machine to another. 



The equipment of a peanut-butter factory consists of roasters, 

 blanchers, picking tables, grinders, bottle-filling, capping, and label- 

 ing machines, together with suitable facilities for the storage of raw 

 materials and for packing and shipping the finished product. 



The arrangement of the equipment of the various factories differs, 

 but the ideal would have the roasters and stock of raw materials 

 located on the top floor, the blanchers and picking tables on the third 

 floor, the grinders and bottling machinery on the second floor, and 

 the packing and shipping departments on the ground floor. 



ROASTING. 



The roasting machinery is built especially for the purpose, but is 

 similar to that used for the roasting of coffee, cocoa, and products of 

 that class. The same equipment may be used for roasting both 

 shelled and unshelled peanuts. As an accessory to the roaster it is 

 desirable to have a carrier or truck, the hopper of which has a perfo- 

 rated bottom for receiving and cooling the roasted nuts. Figure 1 

 shows the roasting and cooling plant in one of the leading peanut- 

 butter factories. 



In some factories artificial gas or natural gas is employed for heat- 

 ing the roasters. In others a hard coal or coke fire is employed. The 

 temperature of the roasters will vaiT with the class of goods that is 

 being handled. For shelled goods this should be about 320° F. For 

 23eanuts in the shell the temperature may be carried considerably 

 higher without danger of scorching. As a rule about 30 or 35 

 minutes are required to roast a batch. The stage of roasting, how- 



[Cir. 98] 



