Development of a shelling method to recover whole kernels of the Cutia nut (Couepia edulis)

• Autor(a) principal: Pessoa,José Dalton Cruz
• Data de Publicação: 2006
• Outros Autores: Leeuwen,Johannes Van
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista brasileira de fruticultura (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-29452006000200018
• topic: instrumentation; nut; kernel; shelling; extraction method; Amazon

The kernel of the cutia nut (castanha-de-cutia, Couepia edulis (Prance) Prance) of the western Amazon, which is consumed by the local population, has traditionally been extracted from the nut with a machete, a dangerous procedure that only produces kernels cut in half. A shelling off machine prototype, which produces whole kernels without serious risks to its operator, is described and tested. The machine makes a circular cut in the central part of the fruit shell, perpendicular to its main axis. Three ways of conditioning the fruits before cutting were compared: (1) control; (2) oven drying immediately prior to cutting; (3) oven drying, followed by a 24-hour interval before cutting. The time needed to extract and separate the kernel from the endocarp and testa was measured. Treatment 3 produced the highest output: 63 kernels per hour, the highest percentage of whole kernels (90%), and the best kernel taste. Kernel extraction with treatment 3 required 50% less time than treatment 1, while treatment 2 needed 38% less time than treatment 1. The proportion of kernels attached to the testa was 93%, 47%, and 8% for treatments 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and was the main reason for extraction time differences.