Peanut

The peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the pea family Fabaceae native to South America. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing to 30 to 50 cm (one to one and a half feet) tall. The leaves are alternate, pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs; no terminal leaflet), each leaflet 1 to 7 cm (1/3 to 2.75 inches) long and 1 to 3 cm (1/3 to 1 inch) broad. The flowers are a typical peaflower in shape, 2 to 4 cm (3/4 to one and a half inches) across, yellow with reddish veining. After pollination, the fruit develops into a legume 3 to 7 cm (1 to 2 inches) long containing 2 to 3 (rarely 1 or 4) seeds, which forces its way underground to mature. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the fruit of the peanut is a woody, indehiscent legume or pod.

Allergies

Although many people enjoy foods made with peanuts, some people have severe allergic reactions to peanuts. For people with peanut allergy, exposure can cause fatal anaphylactic shock. For these individuals, eating a single peanut or just breathing the dust from peanuts can cause a fatal reaction. An allergic reaction also can be triggered by eating foods that have been processed with machines that have previously processed peanuts, making avoiding such foods difficult.

Related Topics:
Allergic reactions - Anaphylactic shock

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A theory of the development of peanut allergy has to do with the way that peanuts are processed in North America versus other countries like China. Peanuts are widely eaten in China but the prevalence of peanut allergies is almost unheard of there. Soheila J. Maleki, PhD, from the United States Department of Agriculture discovered that roasting peanuts as is done in North America causes the major peanut allergen, Ara h2 to become a stronger digestive enzyme inhibitor and more resistant to digestion. Boiling peanuts, as is done in China, does not cause this effect. The allergy can last a lifetime, however new research has shown that almost 25% of children will outgrow a peanut allergy. Society is helping in the protection of allergic children banning peanuts in many school districts. There is now an experimental drug being tested to combat this allergy, called TNX-901.

Related Topics:
PhD - United States Department of Agriculture - School - TNX-901

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As the peanut is a member of the pea family unrelated to other nuts, individuals with peanut allergies may not be allergic to the other types of nuts, and vice-versa.

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