What Does Cold Pressed Peanut Butter Really Mean?
You have seen the words cold pressed on dozens of peanut butter jars. But what does it actually mean and does the method matter for your health? Most brands use the term loosely. Here is the science behind it and why grinding temperature changes everything.
The Problem with Heat
When peanuts are ground at high speeds, friction raises the temperature of the paste well above 60°C and often beyond 80°C. At these temperatures, vitamin E begins to degrade, natural antioxidants break down, and the delicate polyunsaturated fats in the peanut start to oxidise. You end up with a product that looks like peanut butter but has lost a meaningful portion of what made the peanut nutritious in the first place.
What Cold Pressed Actually Requires
True cold pressing means the grinding process never exceeds 45°C. At Nut Tribe, peanuts are ground on a traditional Jhodpuri pink stone chakki running at a maximum of 60 RPM. The low speed means minimal friction while the stone surface dissipates heat naturally. The result is a paste that stays below 45°C from start to finish, not by chilling it, but by never generating excessive heat.
What You Preserve by Staying Below 45°C
Vitamin E is heat-sensitive and begins breaking down above 50°C. Magnesium survives better at lower processing temperatures. Natural oleic acid remains stable. The enzymes naturally present in peanuts remain active, supporting better digestion. None of this is possible in a high-speed blade-ground product.
How Stone Grinding Preserves Nutrients
Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that peanut processing methods directly affect the lipid profile and nutritional composition of the final product. Stone grinding at low RPM helps maintain temperatures below the threshold where fat oxidation and vitamin degradation accelerate.
British Journal of Nutrition, Cambridge
Effects of peanut processing on body weight and fasting plasma lipids.
Nut Tribe grinds every batch on a Jhodpuri pink stone at max 60 RPM, below 45°C. No added oil. No blade. Just peanuts.