Integrated cashew shelling

Cashew nuts were originally a Brazilian crop but are now grown in Central and South America, in East and West Africa and in Asia. Shelling cashew nuts is generally a time and energy consuming process. A London-based company has now developed self-fuelling equipment which cleans, grades and roasts raw cashews. The nuts enter the roaster and are immersed in a liquid obtained from earlier shell processing. This process is designed to bring the shells to the moisture content required. They are then cracked mechanically and the kernels are collected for drying while the broken shells are blown away by air jets. During roasting the liquid is extracted as a by-product and pumped into drums. The shells are used as fuel for roasting and drying. This new equipment improves the profitability of cashew production.Cashew nuts were originally a Brazilian crop but are now grown in Central and South America, in East and West Africa and in Asia. Shelling cashew nuts is generally a time and energy consuming process. A London-based company has now developed..