Mayang Small-Grain Peanuts

Mayang Small-Grain Peanuts

Mayang Small-Grain Peanuts is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Small-Grain Peanuts

　　Peanuts, also known as groundnuts, are highly energy-rich and contain abundant high-quality proteins, making them an excellent food and oil crop. Mayang County has a long history of peanut cultivation, with the largest planting area in the late 1980s and early 1990s, peaking at over 40,000 mu in the highest-yielding years. High-yield cultivation techniques for improved peanut varieties once won the Second Prize of the Hunan Agricultural Harvest Award. Later, due to the need for crop rotation and severe soil erosion, the planting area shrank. Currently, the county maintains a perennial planting area of about 20,000 mu, with an annual yield of 1,200–1,500 tons. The main producing areas are Guogongping, Hepingxi, Huangshuang, and Jinhe townships.

　　The main varieties include pearl bean-type, local small-grain peanuts, and ordinary medium-grain peanuts. The general growth period is 120–150 days. Peanuts grown in Mayang County are mostly planted in sandy loam soil, resulting in thin skins, plump seeds, two seeds per pod, high kernel rates, and high oil content. Particularly for small-grain peanuts, the oil content is around 52%, and protein content is about 30%. The seeds are small, uniform, and pearl-like, with red seed coats. They are suitable for both oil extraction and direct consumption, as well as for processing. The “Mayang Eighteen Oddities Series Peanuts” product line is primarily made from small-grain peanuts. Mayang small-grain peanuts can be pressed into high-quality edible oil rich in fatty acids and vitamins. Long-term consumption can help lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and relieve coughs and phlegm. The small-grain peanut kernels are high in oil and protein, not only providing high caloric value but also containing various vitamins, especially vitamin E, followed by vitamins C and B. In addition to being edible, peanut kernels have medicinal benefits such as “strengthening the spleen and stomach, moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm, nourishing qi and regulating the body, and soothing sore throats and relieving itching.” Modern medicine has proven that peanut kernels, seed coats, shells, leaves, stems, and oil can all be used medicinally. The cake meal left after pressing small-grain peanuts contains about 50% protein, along with 7% fat and 24% carbohydrates, as well as ample nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrients. It can be made into food products and also serves as excellent livestock feed.

　　Small-grain peanuts are a rare and outstanding local variety.