Optimum drying time for palm nuts for efficient nut cracking in small scale oil palm fruit processing mills

Abstract

Palm kernel, one of the end products of oil palm fruit processing is recovered by the cracking of the palm nuts which is first dried to aid efficient kernel recovery. In small-scale mills palm nuts are air-dried. This paper investigates the optimum drying time necessary for efficient nut cracking. Such factors as wholeness of kernel, splitting of kernel and attachment of shell to the kernel after nut cracking were used for assessing efficiency of nut cracking. The results indicated that four weeks of air drying, which gave 86% while kernels and 8% split kernels, is the optimum drying time.



Keywords: Kernels, drying, spilt, optimum, loosening, cracking.


[Global Jnl Engineering Res. Vol.2(1&2) 2003: 7-10]