Peanuts

Peanut pegs growing into the soil. The tip of the peg, once buried, swells and develops into a peanut fruit

Peanuts is an annual herbaceous plant growing 30 to 50 cm (1.0 to 1.6 ft) tall. As a legume, it belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae (also known as Leguminosae, and commonly known as the bean or pea family). Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. The leaves are opposite and pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs; no terminal leaflet); each leaflet is 1 to 7 cm (⅜ to 2¾ in) long and 1 to 3 cm (⅜ to 1 in) across. Like many other legumes, the leaves are nyctinastic, that is, they have "sleep" movements, closing at night.

Peanut pods develop underground, an unusual feature known as geocarpy. The flowers are 1.0 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 in) across, and yellowish orange with reddish veining. They are borne in axillary clusters on the stems above ground and last for just one day. The ovary is located at the base of what appears to be the flower stem but is actually a highly elongated floral cup. After fertilization, a short stalk at the base of the ovary (termed a pedicel) elongates to form a thread-like structure known as a "peg". This peg grows down into the soil, and the tip, which contains the ovary, develops into a mature peanut pod. Pods are 3 to 7 cm (1.2 to 2.8 in) long, normally containing one to four seeds.

Parts

Parts of the peanut include:

• Shell - inedible outer covering, in contact with dirt
• Cotyledon - main edible part
• Seed coat - brown papery covering of the edible part
• Radicle - embryonic root at the bottom of the cotyledon, which can be snapped off
• Plumule - embryonic shoot emerging from the top of the radicle

Industrial use

Peanuts have a variety of industrial end uses. Paint, varnish, lubricating oil, leather dressings, furniture polish, insecticides, and nitroglycerin are made from peanut oil. Soap is made from saponified oil, and many cosmetics contain peanut oil and its derivatives. The protein portion is used in the manufacture of some textile fibers. Peanut shells are used in the manufacture of plastic, wallboard, abrasives, fuel, cellulose (used in rayon and paper), and mucilage (glue).

Gum Arabic

Gum arabic, also known as acacia gum, is a natural gum made of the hardened sap of two species of the acacia tree. Producers harvest the gum commercially from wild trees, 80% of the production in Sudan. Defined as a cold water-soluble polysaccharide, gum arabic is a multi-functional hydrocolloid that features a highly branched arabino-galactan-protein complex. Gum Arabic is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer. It is edible and has E number E414. Gum Arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries. While gum Arabic is now produced mostly throughout the African Sahel, it is still harvested and used in the Middle East.
Sudan is still the world's largest single producer, and the production of gum arabic is heavily controlled by the Sudanese government.

Benefits

They have vast number of benefits, few mentioned below:

• Gum Arabic is used as a thickening agent in icing, fillings, chewing gum and other confectionery treats.
• Gum Arabic is used as a binder for watercolor painting because it dissolves easily in water.
• Gum Arabic is also used as a water-soluble binder in fireworks composition.
• Due to high content of fiber, it can help with digestive issues and help in weight loss.
• It is also widely used in Pharmaceuticals, Vitamins and Cosmetics

Sesame

Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3000 years ago. Sesame has many species, most being wild and native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Sesame is highly tolerant to drought-like conditions and grows where other crops may fail. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. These seeds are small. The size, form and colors vary with the thousands of varieties now known. Typically, the seeds are about 3 to 4 millimeters long by 2 millimeters wide and 1 millimeter thick. The seeds are ovate, slightly flattened and somewhat thinner at the eye of the seed (hilum) than at the opposite end. The weight of the seeds is between 20 and 40 milligrams. With a rich nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines across the world.
Sesame seeds come in many colors depending on the cultivar harvested. The most traded variety of sesame is off-white colored. Other common colors are buff, tan, gold, brown, reddish, gray and black.

Sudan produces a large percentage of the world total annual exports. Sesame in Sudan is raise almost entirely under rain fed conditions, mainly in the Southern Kordofan , Kasala , white and blue Nile states.

Sudan exports three recognized grade:

Sudanese white Sesame seed.

White/red sesame seed.

Mixed Sesame seed.

Packing and Export:

Packing is done in 50 KG PP bags, and exported in 20 feet containers which will carry 19 metric tons.

Benefits

They have vast number of benefits, few mentioned below:

• It is full of magnesium – a key nutrient known to help lower blood pressure.
• It is full of high quality protein making up 20 percent of the seed with 4.7 grams of protein per ounce.
• It helps in improvising Baby’s health. A sesame oil massage improves growth and improves sleep.
• The high copper content in sesame seeds prevents and relieves arthritis, and strengthens bones, joints and blood vessels.
• The high fiber content of sesame seeds helps the intestines with elimination.