Cashew nut Processing Overview

HARVEST, POST HARVEST, HANDLING & STORAGE OF RAW CASHEWNUTS. The cashew apple and not abscise from trees naturally when ripe. Maturation occurs over a period of several weeks during the dry season. Nuts are collected from the ground by hand. Frequent passes though the planting must be made if apples are to be utilized, as they are highly perishable. Rain at harvest may increase rot and stimulate not germination.

The presence of caustin cashew nut shell liquid ( CNSL) in the shels makes cashew processing little difficult and hazardous. Nuts are dried in the Sun on the hard ground i.e. on concrete yards. The nuts should be spread on the hard ground. For proper drying of nuts constant turning is important. Nuts require two / three days of Sun drying. Dried nuts should be stored in Jute bags and kept above the floor on wooden dunn. Direct contact of nut bags and floor should not be there, as this may damage the cashew nuts. The warehouse should be well ventilated with low humidity.

• Steam Cooking
• Shelling
• Drying of Kernels
• Peeling
• Grading
• Filling
• Packing

Steam is developed in the boiler up to 100 / 125 psi and released in the cashew cooker for about 25 to 30 minutes. This expands the shell and softens the nuts due to penetration of the steam in the shell. After steaming process the nuts are spread out on the floor. After few minutes the nuts again gets hard.

The nuts are de-shelled by hand, and leg operated cutters. The nut is kept between two sets of blades to fit the contour of the blade. By pressing the pedal the two blades pierces the cashew nut. Simultaneously the handle of the cutter is moved up to splits the nut. After de-shelling the kernels are seperated from the shell and goes for drying.

The Kernels are dried in the tray dryers to remove the tanning and moister content inside the Kernel. Drying also helps in easy peeling of Red / Brown skin. The Kernals should be dried at 700C for 6 / 7 hours.

The presence of caustin cashew nut shell liquid ( CNSL) in the shels makes cashew processing little difficult and hazardous. Nuts are dried in the Sun on the hard ground i.e. on concrete yards. The nuts should be spread on the hard ground. For proper drying of nuts constant turning is important. Nuts require two / three days of Sun drying. Dried nuts should be stored in Jute bags and kept above the floor on wooden dunn. Direct contact of nut bags and floor should not be there, as this may damage the cashew nuts. The warehouse should be well ventilated with low humidity.

• Vedika Overseas Tradex Pvt. Ltd - Hariyana, Delhi
• Directorate of Cashew Research - Puttur, Karnataka
• Valpai Valley Botanicals Pvt. Ltd., Valpoi - Goa
• Pooja Cashew - Nashik
• KUDUMBASHREE - Govt. of Kerala
• K.P. Agro Pvt. Ltd. - Kanchipuram, Chennai

• Senslo Sarl. - Dakar, Senegal
• Nature Race investment Pvt Ltd. - Gabarone, Botswana
• Langrand, Pereira Y Cia. - Leon, Nicaragua
• High Grade Cashew - Par - es - Salam (Tanzania)
• Director of Empowerment Corporation, Martin Mulumba - Zambia
• Wepe Nigeria Ltd Nigeria