Peanut: a friend or a foe?

Abstract

About 36 million tons of peanuts are produced annually worldwide. Penut kernels are utilized as a major source of cooking oil in developing countries and are used in snack food industries in developed countries. Although the use of peanut kernels as a confectionary snack is increasing rapidly due to growing trends of vegetarianism and a demand for healthy foods, aflatoxin and allergenic proteins have become major public health issues globally. The aim of Chapter 1 is to introduce the reader to "positives (bioactives)" and "negatives (allergens)" in peanuts and to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date review of both beneficial and allergenic compounds present in peanut kernels including current information about bioengineering and allergen management