import re
str_1 = "& peers & & apples & & lemon juice & & Strawberries & & Mellon & "
print( re.findall(r'[^&\s]+(?:[^&]*[^&\s])?', str_1) )
aW1wb3J0IHJlCnN0cl8xID0gIiYgcGVlcnMgJiAmIGFwcGxlcyAmICYgbGVtb24ganVpY2UgJiAmIFN0cmF3YmVycmllcyAmICYgTWVsbG9uICYgIgpwcmludCggcmUuZmluZGFsbChyJ1teJlxzXSsoPzpbXiZdKlteJlxzXSk/Jywgc3RyXzEpICkKCg==