Peanut butter containing homogenized peanut paste

Claim 2

The peanut butter composition of claim 2 comprising by weight from 5 to 7 percent added sweetener.

Claim 3

The peanut butter composition of claim 3 wherein sweetener is selected from the group consisting of sucrose, molasses, honey, dextrose, and fructose.

Claim 4

The peanut butter composition of claim 3 wherein the stabilizer component comprises substantially fully hydrogenated soybean oil and substantially fully hydrogenated rapeseed oil in weight ratios from about 3:7 to about 7:3 and the emulsifier is soybean monoglyceride.

Claim 5

The peanut butter composition of claim 1 wherein the skins range in amount from 2 to 4 percent based on the weight of the peanut paste ingredient.

Claim 6

A process for preparing a peanut paste ingredient for a peanut butter composition which is smoother, glossier, has fewer specks and melts more rapidly in the mouth than conventional peanut butter and which has acceptable stickiness characteristics, said process comprising the step of passing peanut paste initially having a maximum particle size on the order of 150 to 300 microns and initially having 40 to 50 percent of its particles in the 8-20 micron range through a homogenizer having an inlet nozzle and mounted in close relationship to the downstream exit of the nozzle a valve plug which restricts egress of product from the nozzle and forms an annular opening between the nozzle and the valve plug, and mounted downstream from the annular opening between the nozzle and the valve plug an impact ring against which product can be impacted prior to entering a product reservoir from which homogenized product is withdrawn, to reduce the particle size to the levels specified in claim 1, the paste being introduced into the nozzle of the homogenizer at a pressure ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 p.s.i.g., the temperature of the peanut paste in the homogenizer ranging from 50* to 300* F.

Claim 7

The process of claim 7 wherein the paste has its particle size reduced to the level specified in claim 2.

Claim 8

The process of claim 8 wherein the pressure ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 p.s.i.g. and the peanut paste temperature ranges from 100* to 240* F.

Claim 9

The process of claim 9 wherein the velocity of the paste is increased in the homogenizer so as to range from about 500 feet/second to about 3,000 feet/second.

Claim 10

The process of claim 10 wherein peanut skins are part of the peanut paste and amount to more than 0.75 percent and up to 5 percent by weight of the peanut paste.

Claim 11

The process of claim 10 wherein the peanut paste is passed through the homogenizer in combination with stabilizer, emulsifier, and sweetener ingredients.

Claim 12

Introducing peanut paste in a radially outwardly extending manner at a pressure of from 3,000 to 10,000 p.s.i.g. into a homogenizing zone wherein said paste is subjected to impacting and internal shearing forces to provide a peanut paste ingredient having a maximum particle size of no more than 80 microns, having more than 50 percent of its particles with a particle size in the 8- 20 micron range, and having no more than 35 percent of its particles having a size less than 10 microns.

Claim 13

The process of claim 13 wherein the paste has at least 55 percent of its particles with a particle size in the 8-20 micron range, and has no more than 30 percent of its particles having a size of less than 10 microns.