Cashew Processing

1. Processing of the Cashewnut

2. Processing at Orchard level
3. Processing of raw nuts at factories
4. Major Processors & Exporters
5. Manufacturers & Suppliers of Machinery

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1. PROCESSING OF CASHEWNUT

Processing of cashewnuts refers to the conversion of raw cashewnuts in shell to its blanched graded
kernel form. The processing units are mainly concentrated in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa. The process is highly labour intensive and the work force
consists mainly of women.
(a) Drum roasting: This is one of the oldest and more widely used methods. The nuts are fed into a
rotating red hot drum which will ignite the shell maintaining its temperature because of the burning of the
shell liquid. The drum is kept in rotation for 3-4 minutes and the roasted nuts are discharged from the
lower end of the drum and immediately covered by ash after sprayed with little water, so as to absorb the
oil on the surface. This facilitates the removal of the remaining oil on the shell. Due to draw backs of the
method is superseded by oil bath roasting.
(b) Oil bath roasting: In this method conditioned nuts are passed through CNSL bath heated to 170-
2000C by conveyer buckets for 1-2 minutes during which period the shell gets heated rupturing the wall
and releasing the oil into the bath. The oil is recovered by continuous over flow arrangement. The roasted
nuts are centrifuged to remove adhering oil, cooled and shelled by hand and leg operated shelling
machines. The kernel with the adhering testa is scooped out using a sharp needle.

(c) Steam roasting: The raw nuts are steam cooked at about 120-140 lbs/sq inch pressure. Shell oil can
be extracted in later stages by crushing. The nuts are shelled by hand and leg operated shelling
machines.
A general comparison of the above three methods would show that the oil bath method and steam
roasting systems require more initial investment and higher maintenance costs: the drum roasting method
being the cheapest. From the point of view of environmental pollution the safest is the steam roasting
method.


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2. Processing at Orchard Level

The processing of cashew in the orchard is mainly confines to removal of raw nuts from cashew apple
and drying. Harvest only fully matured nuts. Usually, nuts are picked when they fall off from the tree. Best
quality nuts are obtained, where fresh fallen fruits are collected. The apples are removed and the nuts are
sun dried for 2 - 3 days to reduce moisture from 25 percent to below 9 percent. It is very essential to dry
the nuts after harvest to prevent spoilage during subsequent storage. This helps the kernel to retain their
quality, particular the flavour. However, if cashew apples are used for processing, it is better to harvest
them from the tree without damaging the apples. The mature nuts will sink in water while the
immature/unfilled ones will float. This test could be used to find out whether the nuts are mature or not.


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3. Processing of raw nuts at factories

The nuts which are required to be processed at factory should be dried again for 1-2 days to reduce and
maintain the moisture level of 7 - 8 percent. The processing of raw nuts involves roasting, shelling, drying,
peeling, grading and packing. The steps involved in commercial processing of cashew nuts are detailed
below :-

Roasting
Roasting of raw nuts is done to separate adhering shell from the kernel. There are three types of roasting
viz, drum roasting, oil bath roasting and steam roasting. Steam roasting is the commonly used method by
most of the processing units. In the case of steam roasting, the raw nuts are steam roasted at about 100-
lb pressure for about 25-30 minutes. Then the nuts are allowed to cool for 24 hours and taken for shelling.
Shelling
Cashew nuts after roasting and cooling are to be shelled to remove kernels. One has to be very careful
while shelling the nuts. Hands are to be protected from Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) which is highly
corrosive. Hand gloves should be used while shelling. For the same reason, it is advisable to dust the
nuts with wood ash. Commercial processing units use foot operated shell cutters (mechanical device) for
shelling. This device consists of a pair of blade (knives) shaped in the counter of half a nut which could be
operated by foot. The blades cut through the shell all around the nut, leaving the kernel untouched. After
shelling the kernels and shell pieces are separated manually. The nuts have to be grouped into various
sizes, each size matching a pair or blades of appropriate size.
Drying
The kernels after shelling will have moisture content of more than 6 per cent. Drying of these kernels is
necessary to prevent fungus attack during subsequent storage and to facilitate peeling of testa. The
kernels are to be dried to moisture content of about 4 - 5 per cent. This is done by drying the kernels in
hot chambers at 70 - 80 C in perforated trays for about 6 - 8 hours. Uniform drying could be achieved with
a cross flow drier using forced hot air circulation through the kernel layers. In order to ensure uniform
drying, the position of the trays has to be changed frequently, as scorching may occur at hotter places.
Excess drying of kernels leads to kernels becoming very brittle resulting in higher breakage. After drying,
the kernels are kept in the moist chamber for 24 hours which facilitates easy removal of testa (peeling)
and minimizes broken kernels.
Peeling
This process involves the removal of testa (seed coat) from the kernel. Peeling is done using a sharp
knife or bamboo piece. Care has to be taken while removing the testa. If kernels are scorched more it
results in poor quality kernels.
Grading
Kernels are graded according to the size manually. In the International Market bold whole kernels fetch
premium price. The grading standards developed in India refer to white whole (undamaged) kernels and
indicate the number of kernels per lb of weight. The largest kernels come in the grade W 210 (440-
460/kg) and the smallest of the seven grades is W 500 (1000-1100/kg). Generally, Brazilian kernels have
a relatively high proportion of large wholes, with the extra attraction of the 180"s grade, known as Special
Large Wholes. The white whole kernels are priced according to size. Further classification refers to
broken kernels, butts, splits, pieces, small pieces and whether kernels are white or scorched.
Packaging
As far as possible packaging material used should be eco-friendly and recyclable and containers are
hermetically sealed after filling carbon dioxide.