The raw cashew nuts are
procured from the local farmers and local market. These cashew nuts are dried
in the sun for a period of two days and are then stored in the gunny bags for
processing through the year. The process of sun drying helps in removal of excess
moisture thus resulting in longer storage. The processing of cashew nut is a
four stage process, each designed to produce quality edible cashew kernel.
Steam
Roasting
The outer shell of the raw
cashew nuts has to be removed to produce the edible cashew kernel. The outer
shell of the cashew is very hard and it contains a corrosive oil which is
harmful for human consumption. The process of steam roasting helps in removal
of this hard shell with minimal effort. The raw cashew nuts are put in a drum connected
to a mini boiler. The steam from this mini boiler is passed over the cashew
nuts placed in the drum for a period of 10 -15 minutes. These cashew nuts are
left in the drum for 20 minutes for proper roasting. The roasted cashew nuts
are then taken out of the drum and placed in the open air for a period of
around 12 hours to let them cool down and help in removal of the cashew shells.
Shell
Cutting
The roasted cashew nuts are
then taken to the cutting department to remove the outer shell. This is a complex
process and requires highly skilled labor to get maximum unbroken kernel
output. This process required each cashew nut to be individually placed between
blades of the machine operated manually to remove the outer shell. This process
results in production of cashew kernel with soft inner shell. These nuts are
then placed in a oven which is constantly maintained at a temperature of about
60 degrees for a period of 24 hours to make the inner shell brittle.
Peeling
The inner shell of the
kernel has to be removed to produce the white nuts. The peeling process is
designed to remove this inner soft shell after the kernel is removed from the
oven. The kernel is used for peeling after it is left in the open for a period
of 12 hours. This cooling helps in peeling process. Each nut is individually
peeled to get white nuts. These white nuts are then sent to the grading
department.
Grading
The process of grading is
designed to sort the white cashew kernel into different grades. The white
kernel is divided into two main types, wholes and pieces. The wholes are further
divided into 15 grades and the pieces are divided into 9 main grades. The
process of sorting wholes and the pieces is based on the size, color and
texture of the nuts. The sorting is done based on the set international sizes.
These nuts are then once again placed in the oven to make the nuts crispier
before they are sent to the packaging department.
Packing
The roasted cashew kernel is packed
into plastic bags of different sized for sale in local market and in tins of
10kgs for sending to other markets.
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