Effects of Drying Method of Pods after Harvesting on Quality of Peanut Seeds

Abstract

The drying condition after harvesting is one of the most important factors that determine the quality of peanut seeds. In this study, we investigated the effects of temperature, humidity and presence or absence of leaves and stems during pod drying on eating quality of peanut seeds. The presence or absence of leaves and stems during pod drying had no discernible effect on either sucrose or starch contents of seeds. The increase in the sucrose content and decrease in the starch content of seeds during drying became slower with the decrease in the moisture content of seeds. These results show that gradual drying of pods until the moisture content of seeds becomes less than 20% would be necessary to improve the taste and flavor of seeds. It was also suggested that there was no significant effect of remaining leaves and stems during the drying process on the taste and flavor of seeds.