Harvesting MILLIONS of Cashew Nuts For Processing _ Mega Food Factory

The country Vietnam is known to be the largest cashew-producing country around the world. Due to its high health benefits and the good things it does to one's heart, the demand for this hearty snack has been increasing ever since. This has helped Asian countries, especially Vietnam, develop more efficient ways to harvest and process cashews. In today's Lord Gizmo video, we'll explore the insider details on cashew processing. But before that, please do not forget to give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for more related videos. The whole process starts with planting the cashews. Typically, they grow on trees. Specifically, the Anacardium occidental trees. It's originally native to Brazil, but throughout time, other parts of the world have learned how to cultivate it. The planting process starts with the careful selection of the cashew seeds. Farmers make sure that the seeds they pick have the standard germination rate, disease resistance, and nut size. After that, they prepare the soil by clearing out the weeds and adding in organic matters like compost or manure. They also make sure that the soil is suitable for the growth of the cashew by checking its pH level. Usually, the seeds are planted during the rainy season when the soil is moist. It requires a lot of moisture, so farmers make sure to water them frequently. Normally, it takes around five to seven years for cashew trees to mature and produce nuts. All throughout these years, farmers need to provide constant care and pruning to the trees. Once the trees mature and bear fruit, it will take about two to three months before they can ripen. It's important that the farmers wait for these cashew nuts to ripen fully because they will fall on their own through this. Once that happens, the farmers will pick them up individually and put them into these sacks. However, not all of these are consumable. The seed of the cashew nut is found inside the pit of the fruit and is encased in a fleshy membrane known as the testa. The only edible part of the testa is the kernel. After they fill these containers, the cashews will be transferred to a truck. This will help them get transported to the processing facility. One of the vital parts of cashew processing is drying cashews. Although there are different ways to dry the cashew, one of the most common ways to do this is through sun drying. First of all, they transfer the cashew from the truck and spread it out on a single layer. They make sure that there is a protective layer of plastic underneath to make sure that no unnecessary dirt will come near the cashews. The workers will leave them in direct sunlight for a couple of hours or until the desired dryness is reached. It's important to note that they don't leave the cashews for too long because it may become rancid or spoil. Once they are all dried out, they will be placed into a packaging. This is in preparation for the delivery to the processing facility. Once the batches of cashews reach the processing facility, they will be sorted according to size and quality. Workers in this stage make sure that only the highest quality cashews are processed so their resources are maximized. To ensure that the process remains hygienic and the cashews are safe for consumption, the process starts with de-stoning and cleaning them. In processing facilities, they do this mechanically with the help of a cashew detonator or a cashew de-stoner. Aside from cleaning the cashews, these machines help remove their shells too. Loading the cashews onto this machine not only washes them but also helps separate unwanted debris. It has a mechanism that can help separate the cashews from any stone, sand, etc. Through the help of this machine, workers can guarantee that they only have good-quality kernels on the next step. After that, the cashews will move to the next step, which is steaming or roasting. It can be done in two ways, steaming or through roasting them without oil. This not only enhances the flavor of the nuts but also helps soften up their shell. In most processing facilities, they process these cashew nuts through a machine where hot air circulates around them. Using machines instead of manually roasting them allows a constant temperature to flow. After they are subjected to heat, the cashews will be transferred to this machine that moves them upward. The purpose of this is to initiate the process of cooling. All the cashews that are meant for cooling will be placed here. In most cases, they are air-cured or cooled but some facilities also do it mechanically. This will prevent over-roasting and also help in retaining their moisture content. Once they've been cooled, they'll be transferred to this raw cashew nut sizing system. This machine has a hopper and an elevator feed that helps feed the cashew nuts to the system. They'll fall onto this machine and will be sorted out according to their sizes. Using a machine like this in this part of the process reduces the labor requirement which also reduces the costs. Then, depending on what size they are, the cashew nuts will be transferred to the appropriate containers. Subsequently, the cashew nuts are shelled after being transferred to storage silos via vertical and horizontal conveyors. Different operating modes have been implemented for both horizontal and vertical layouts of shelling machines, both mechanical and manual. The automated shelling lines can be modified to become a continuous sheller that uses mechanical scoops to automatically gather the kernels after separating the shells from the kernel. After processing, raw cashews usually weigh about 25% of their original weight. Shelled RCNS generate shells and kernels during the shelling process. After shelling, it's critical to remove the oily shells as soon as possible to keep the kernels from getting greasy. A peripherated vibrating deck splits the kernels from the shells following the shelling machine output. Since the lighter shells are vacuumed by a pneumatic aspirator, there isn't any contact between them and the kernels. The next process is basically just like the previous one. The shelled cashews will be transferred to a conveyor belt that goes upward. This belt will allow the nuts to fall into this other machine where they are sorted according to size and quality. You can see how each container here contains different appearances of cashew nuts. In this processing facility, they have these trays that will be used for further processing. Depending on what their quality is, each of the cashew nuts will be placed to fill these trays. This process can be done manually, but it's much faster and more economical to do it mechanically. Once the trays are filled, they'll be stacked onto each other. These trays of cashew nuts will be subject to another process of drying. After that, they will undergo the process of humidification. This means that the kept in trolleys for conditioning and humidified in a closed room. This is another process that helps it enhance their flavor, texture, and shelf life. Measuring and monitoring are two tasks that make up most of humidification. After some time, another worker will check the condition of each tray. When they've already met the standards, the worker will transfer them over to this funnel-like machine. This is the machine responsible for peeling the cashew nuts. Cashew kernels are graded by sorting them according to specified standards into various sizes and shapes. This work is usually done by skilled laborers manually who filter through each batch of kernels to place them in proper categories. However, because of their affordability, accuracy, and speed, mechanical graders are becoming more and more common in contemporary cashew processing plants. Before placing the kernels in the appropriate bins, these machines employ cameras or other sensors to determine the size and form of the kernels. The cashew nuts will be fumigated after they've been graded in order to eliminate pests that can cause damage and spoiling while being transported and stored. Just before they're packed, more than 70% of cashews are fumigated with phosphine. To make sure that all insects and eggs are gone, the nuts are subjected to a regulated dose of phosphine gas for a few hours. Additionally, the treatment helps keep other pests like beetles, weevils, and mites from invading. Finally, the cashew nuts are packaged as a preparation for their distribution. To ensure optimal product protection, cashew kernels need to be packaged carefully. To prevent any external or internal damage to the goods, the materials used inside the package need to be clean and of a high enough grade. The containers used to pack cashew kernels must also be hermetically sealed. Thank you for watching this video about cashew nut processing. If you enjoyed learning more about how these delicious nuts are processed, be sure to check out some of our other videos for even more informative content.