The development of a mechanical cracker for macadamia nuts

Abstract A new cracker for macadamia nuts was developed and tested. The cracker utilizes the principle of a constant deformation rate, which ensures a uniform, continuous cracking and results in a better recovery of the kernels. Experiments have shown that on the average 75% of the kernels were whole or halves, which is better than the results reported in the literature. However, further work is required to solve the problem of separation between kernels and shells.