PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE OF PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

• The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the

• cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit.!112 The tree can grow as high as 14 m (46 ft), but the
dwarf cultivars, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), prove more profitable, with earlier maturity and greater yields. The
cashew seed is commonly considered a snack nut (cashew nut) eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed
into cashew cheese or cashew butter, I3] Like the tree, the nut is often simply called cashew.

• Cashew allergies are triggered by the proteins found in tree nuts and cooking often does not remove or
change these proteins.

• Immediately after harvest, raw cashews nuts are processed, which is fundamental to maintain their quality
and properties. Farmers separate the drupe from the cashew apple to put them into sun-drying. These raw
products are traded and then processed to obtain the cashew nut kernel.
• Generally, the processing of raw cashew nuts into edible cashew kernel takes the following Steps traditional
method: roasting, shelling, drying, peeling, grading, quality controls, fumigation, and packaging. All these
steps have to be conducted with care to obtain good quality and good grade kernels.

• In order to ensure the quality requirements an avoid contamination of the cashew nuts, preparation takes
place under clean, hygienic, and ideal conditions. The following aspects are cleaned regularly: equipment
(tubes, knives, etc.), working and drying surfaces (racks, mats, etc.), personnel clothes, and preparing storage
rooms.
• The nut is encased in a rock-hard shell that is virtually impossible to penetrate after harvest. In order to
extract the nut, the whole shell is soaked in water, softened by steaming and carefully air-dried to the final
moisture content (9 percent). Each nut is hand massaged and cracked via a manual process that entails putting
the nut against one sharp blade and bringing another blade, which is on a foot powered lever, through the
outer shell. The blade on the foot lever is raised by an enthusiastic stomp allowing the outer. shell to separate
from the nut. The nut inside is carefully picked out of the outer shell using a nut pick.
 • Objectives of the production department

• Cashew nut is now treated as a health friendly nut. This is primarily due to high fat (47 percent) content, out
of which 82 percent are in unsaturated form and the proportion of the monosaturated fatty acid and
polysaturated fatty acid in 4:1 ratio, thereby reduce the cholesterol (Rao and Venkataraman,1995). The high
dietary fiber & high monosaturated fatty acid lower the blood glucose and improve insulin resistance.

• Cashew nuts are also very good for cold & flue due to presence of Vitamin E and protein. Selenium rich
cashew kernels can help to protect against lungs, liver, skin, brain, and gastrointestinal cancer (Sacks, 1999).

• As a whole, cashew nuts are becoming established as a food item that can protect human beings against major
diseases including heart diseases, diabetics, cancer etc., with its rare combination carbohydrates and protein.
Cashew kernel is a rich source of energy and a snack of great taste.
Cashews are especially rich in unsaturated fats- a category of fats linked to a lower risk of premature death and
heart disease. Thev are also low in sugar, a source of fiber, and contain almost the same amount of protein as an
equivalent quantity of cooked meat.
In addition, cashews having good amount of copper, a mineral which is essential for energy production, a strong
immune system and for healthy brain development.
They're also a rich source of magnesium, manganese and nutrients which is important for bone health.
• Cashews are rich in carotenoids and polyphenols, and of antioxidants which may help to reduce inflammation

and offer protection from different diseases. Cashews are low in sugar and rich in fibre, and plant protein.

• Cashews appear to provide fewer calories than once thought. Their rich fibre and protein content can help

reduce hunger and increase feeling full. Put together, all of these factors may help you lose excess weight.

Cashews are low in sugar and rich in fibre- two factors which, when combined, may help reduce blood sugar

levels and protect against the development of type 2 diabetes.

• Cashew being primarily export oriented crop, it is necessary to give utmost priority for developing varieties

and hybrids with export grade kernels. Nuts should be big and plumpy to produce more of W-180 grades.

Yield of more than 10 kg per tree per Year.

Structural Organization Of Production Department
General plant layout
PRODUCTION PROCESS

• The raw cashew nut processing process starts with properly drying and storing the raw cashew nuts for
processing all year round. The next steps involve various activities to remove the cashew kernel from its
shell. The final edible consumer product is the cashew kernel.

Generally, the processing of raw cashew nuts into edible cashew kernel takes the following steps traditional
method: roasting, shelling drying, peeling, grading, quality controls, fumigation, and packaging. All these steps
have to be conducted with care to obtain good quality and good grade kernels.
 
• The main steps in production of cashew kernels are:

 Boiling

 Cutting

 Drying

 Moisturising and conditioning

 Peeling/Shelling

 Borma Drying

 Final grading

 Packaging
Boiling process

• The boiling process is done in the when the cashew is dispatched from the fruit and oes in the boiler so that the puter layer of
cashew that is the nutshell that is hard gets soft and after boiling the cashew the nutshell gets soft and can be removed
further.

• The cashews are boiled till 20 to 25 minutes so that the nutshells get soft. The temperature and time are according to the
cashew quantity.

• Steam cooking process also known as the steam roasting process consists of two boilers. One is baby boiler, and another is
cooking boiler.

• The raw cleaned cashew nuts are boiled using these boilers until the change of colour from grey to brown. The steam is
produced through the baby boiler which is hand stocked having fire tube.

• Combustion air drawn through top of the boiler. Cashew nut cooking boiler is a cylindrical boiler where the cashew nuts are
feed through the top of the boiler and discharged from the side near bottom of the boiler.

• Cashew nut cooking boiler is a cylindrical boiler where the cashew nuts are feed through the top of the boiler and discharged
from the side near bottom of the boiler.
Cutting
• After the heating process, the roasted cashew shells are to become brittle and loosens the kernel inside the shell. Then some delay
time will occur to cool the cashew nut.

• Servo motor is switched on for doing the cashew cutting process, here the motor is connected with the two blades used to punch
the cashew for the removal of cashew kernel from the shell.

• After the cutting process cashew kernels are collected beneath the cutter. The entire operation of the servo motor is controlled by
PI controller.

• IR sensor is used to sense the output. Sensor is placed beneath the cutter to examine whether the cashew kernel is obtained or not.

• In the cashew shelling process uses the servo motor to punch the cashew nut. Here the control the servo motor is given by the PI
controller and PI controller is widely used as an ON-OFF controllers in many industrial applications.

• After the roasting process delay will occur to cool the roasted cashew. Cooling process takes the period of 2-3 minutes then the
roasted cashews are sent to the cashew shelling machine. The cashew is fed one by one using mechanical conveyor.

• Servo motor starts shelling operation by connecting the motor to the two blades are used to split the nuts by operating handle of
cutter. Motor is used to cut the cashew nut and thus forces the shell to fracture without rupturing the kernel.
Drying

• The raw kernels are put in aluminium perforated trays and then put in an electric / steam drying machine for
three hours at a constant temperature of 80 deg. C. The moisture content of the raw kernel is reduced from
7% to 3% to prevent natural deterioration.

• The heat and time control of the dryers are managed by digital temperature and timer control. The Cashew
kernels are filled in perforated trays and loaded into a

• BORMA trolley. Each tray to hold about 5 kgs and 25b trays in a trolley. Trays are offered in Mild steel (MS)
and Food grade stainless steel (SS).
Moisturising and conditioning

• The nuts are soaked in water in order to avoid scorching during the roasting operation. Conditioning is carried
out in order to prepare for removal of the CSNL.In small-scale

• operations, after cleaning, the nuts are placed in a large open drum (180 to 220 litres/40 to 45 gallons).

• Water is poured into the drum and the nuts are allowed to stand for ten minutes prior to draining off the water
through a hole in the base of the drum. The dampened nuts are then allowed to stand in order to absorb the
adhering water.

• This soaking and conditioning operation is repeated up to three or four times until moisture content of nine
percent is attained. On a slightly larger scale, in the processing of 2 to 10 tonnes per day for example, a
simple cleaning and conditioning system can be set up.
• This consists of three main parts:

 A platform on which a bag of cashew nuts can be placed and opened.

 A long grill of mild steel rods placed along a length of an enclosed frame across which the nuts are drawn by hand.

• The sand and dirt pass through the grill and the cleaned nuts fall over the edge into a vat. A vat that is large enough to contain the volume of nuts
required for one day's processing.

• There are two vats so that one may be filled while the other is emptied for further processing.

• The sacks of harvested nuts on the stand are generally opened by two people, who clean the nuts as they pass over the grill and into one of the vats.
Water is then sprayed on to the nuts contained in the vat.

• The water trickles down through the nuts, while excess water is drained through a hole situated at the bottom of the tank. Spraying is stopped when
drainage of excess water begins and the surface water which adheres to the nuts is allowed time to be absorbed by the nuts. The spraying treatment is
repeated at three-hourly intervals until the required moisture condition (9 percent) of the raw nuts is met.

• All nuts conditioned in this way are further processed in the same batch and the vat is

• completely emptied prior to the further addition of nuts. If nuts are left in the vat when new ones are added, the moisture content of the remaining
nuts will be too high for processing. After the vat is emptied it must be thoroughly cleaned to remove all traces of dirt.

• To Maintain Sufficient moisture level of unpeeled cashew kernels to reduce the broken percentage during peeling.
Peeling /Shelling
• To Cut the Cooked raw cashew nuts. Shelled raw cashew nuts are carried on the horizontal conveyor.

• Using a more advanced cashew peeling machine can greatly improve the peeling efficiency and whole kernel rate of cashew
nuts. Here is how cashew peeling machine

• works.

• For raw cashew nuts, the processing flow is:

• Raw cashew nuts grading - cooking - shelling – drying peeling - cashew nuts key grading - packing in vacuum bag for
exporting.

• Among them, the peeling part of cashew nuts contains multiple steps to maximize the peeling rate and reduce the damage.

• Cashew peeling process: humidifier - loosening – peeling-broken kernel grading.

• Cashew nut peeling machine includes humidifier, elevator, looser, peeler. Realize continuous peeling, high efficiency, and
peeling rate of more than 95%.
 Humidification: Use a humidifier to humidify the cashew nut kernel, which can increase the looseness of the
cashew peel and kernel and reduce the crushing rate of the kernel. A humidification room needs to be built
in the factory, and the humidification time is about 10-12 hours.

 Loosening: It is a flexible loosening mechanism. Its main function is to loosen the brown skin of cashew
kernels, which is beneficial to peeling.

 Peeling: The principle of air peeling is adopted to reduce damage. The peeling effect is best when the
moisture content is about 7%.

• Borma Drying

• The cashews are then dried again in dryer in the trays

• Final grading

• Then the cashews are separated from sizes and different grades.
 • Packaging

• Packing of cashew is done in tins., plastic jars and plastic packets.

Analysis of Plant Location and Layout

Classification of Inventories

1)Cashew Cooking System 2) Cashew Shelling System

3) Cashew Drying System 4) Cashew Peeling System
5) Cashew Grading System 6) Cashew Packing system
Material handling systems

• Material handling systems consists only big trolleys and small trolleys.

• Types and Classes of Material Handling Equipment

• Quality Assurance and Management

• TO ensure the safety of cashews, international growers and processors are setting a wide range of good
practices. Cashews are produced with consideration for quality control and food safety international standards
Careful practices have been stablished to control the chemical, microbiological pesticide, and contaminant
content 
• Quality Assurance:

• The following programs are endorsed by the industry:

1. Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs):

• which provide growers guidelines and principles to apply for on-farm production and post-production processed to provide
safety and healthy cashews, minimizing potential hazards, such as pathogens, contaminants, and pest management materials.

1. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs):

• Which define procedures to be used in the processing, packaging, storing and transport stages bY handlers to ensure the
quality of the product. GMPS Are used by handlers to treat cashews under the best sanitary conditions.

•  

1. Hazard AnalysisCritical Control Point (HACCP):

• which Provides a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies, assesses, and controls the risk of biological,
chemical, and physical hazards in production processes
 • Approximate Quality Characteristics

• Chemical

• Moisture Max 5%

• Free Fatty Acids. < 0,7%

• Peroxide Value. <1 meg/kg

• Microbiological

• Total Plate Count. < 10,000 cfu/g

• Yeast and Mould. < 500 cfu/g

• Enterobacteria. < 10 cfu/g

• Coliforms. <10 cfu/g

• E. Coli. Not measurable

• Salmonella. Negative in 25g

• Staphylococcus aureus. < 100 cfu/g

• Streptococcus. < 100 cfu/g

•