Can You Still Eat Raw Peanuts That Have Bugs? Preservation Methods and Stomach-Nourishing Benefits Explained

In daily life, many people like to eat peanuts, especially in summer, when many keep a plate of peanuts and a bottle of liquor to enjoy together. But since peanuts do not store well, especially after being kept too long they can become bug-infested or sprout, so how do you preserve raw peanuts? Can you still eat them once bugs appear? Do they nourish the stomach when eaten?

I. How do you preserve raw peanuts?

1. The best methods for preserving raw peanuts:

(1) Vacuum sealing, but this requires a certain level of technical support.

(2) The chili pepper method. First spread the peanuts out in the sun to dry, winnow away impurities, then put them into a hole-free plastic food bag, add a few pieces of cut-up dried chili pepper, seal the bag, and place it in a dry, ventilated spot. This way the peanuts will keep for a year without spoiling, achieving moisture-proofing, mold-proofing and insect-proofing.

(3) The blanch-and-sun-dry method. Put the peanuts into boiling water for a quick blanch, take them out immediately, stir them while hot with table salt, then sun-dry them. This kills surface bacteria and also achieves insect-proofing and mold-proofing.

(4) The desiccant method. Store the peanuts in an airtight container with a desiccant added.

2. Can raw peanuts be frozen in the refrigerator?

(1) Raw peanuts are best stored in a ventilated, dry place. Sun-dry the raw peanuts in a container for 2-3 days, then let them cool, put them in a plastic food bag, seal it tightly, and place it in the refrigerator to chill; they can be kept for 1-2 years, and you can take out and process as much as you want whenever you want to eat them, without them spoiling.

(2) Peanuts should not be stored frozen; ordinary refrigeration is sufficient. Keep the temperature at 4 to 10 degrees; in this temperature range the oils in the peanuts are theoretically already solid, the peanuts' own metabolism is extremely slow, and the acid value hardly rises at all. But below 0 degrees frost damage may occur, affecting the taste, and if they are used for oil pressing the non-hydrated phospholipid content will also be high. Relative humidity should also be kept below 85%. Under these temperature and humidity conditions, aflatoxin will not be produced and the acid value of the peanuts will not rise noticeably. There is no problem storing them for several months.

3. Can you eat raw peanuts that have sprouted?

Yes, you can. Peanut sprouts are just like mung bean sprouts and can be eaten, and the sprouts are quite nutritious too, but you must make sure they have not rotted. Peanut sprouts have long been eaten among the people, mainly made into pickles, that is, placed in a pickling crock until sour and then eaten. In the southwestern part of Anhui, every year when new peanuts grow in the soil, some of them sprout, and people treat those as a delicacy. In some cities, small packages of peanut sprouts sell very well in vegetable supermarkets, and restaurants also serve peanut sprout dishes, but this refers to sprouts about one cun long that have not rotted.

When we buy peanuts and see sprouted ones, or find them among peanuts stored at home, we actually do not know which day they sprouted, and the fact that they could sprout shows the peanuts were in a moist, water-rich state; such peanuts easily sprout and grow mold, becoming infected with Aspergillus flavus. So, sprouting is not toxic in itself, but mold that accompanies sprouting can form the toxic aflatoxin, which can cause cancer and must not be eaten. Sprouting and mold growth occur under the same condition of high moisture content in the peanuts. So although they are not cause and effect for each other, sprouted peanuts have many opportunities to become infected with aflatoxin. Therefore, when buying peanuts, if you see sprouted ones, or find them among peanuts stored at home, do not eat them, but eating a few will not poison you right away.

So, if the sprouting is artificial, there is no problem. They can be eaten. But if the sprouting is due to mold caused by moisture from being left too long, then they absolutely must not be eaten.

4. Can you still eat peanuts that have bugs?

It is best not to eat them, because once bugs appear mold may also develop, producing cancer-causing aflatoxin. Aflatoxins (AFT) are a class of compounds with similar chemical structures, all derivatives of dihydrofuranocoumarin. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, and the probability of aflatoxins appearing in food and feed is highest in hot, humid regions.

They exist in soil, in animals and plants, and in various nuts, and are especially likely to contaminate oil and grain products such as peanuts, corn, rice, soybeans and wheat. They are the most toxic of the mycotoxins and the class of mycotoxin that poses an extremely prominent hazard to human health.

4. How do you deal with them after bugs appear?

(1) If only a few peanuts have bugs, put the bug-infested peanuts in a cool, ventilated place, let the bugs slowly crawl out, then sift them, and they can continue to be eaten.

(2) If only a few peanuts have bugs, put the bug-infested peanuts in a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly, and place it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator; take it out after 48 hours to kill the bugs in the peanuts, then sift them, and they can continue to be eaten.

(3) If too many peanuts have bugs, they cannot be eaten and should be thrown away directly.

II. Do raw peanuts nourish the stomach when eaten?

Eating raw peanuts can nourish the stomach. People generally like to eat peanuts cooked, but in fact eating them raw has many unexpected benefits. Song Liqun, chief technician of the Nutrition Department of the PLA Second Artillery General Hospital, says that a prominent benefit of eating raw peanuts is that they can nourish the stomach, because peanuts are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, contain no cholesterol, are rich in dietary fiber, and are a natural low-sodium food. Eating an appropriate amount of raw peanuts every day (no more than 50 grams) has certain benefits for nourishing the stomach.