Heat treatment and loading orientation effects on some mechanical properties of steamed cashew kernels (Anacardium occidentale L.)

The economic interest has made many countries of the world to encourage the cultivation of cashew and it is fast becoming an export produce in many developing countries.  The necessary processing operations needed for cashew nut before obtaining the standard exportable quality of edible cashew kernel require lot of time, materials and human resources.  This study considers the wholeness of kernels obtainable by varying the drying duration and temperature. The cashew kernels were steamed, peeled and dried.  Mechanical properties of the dried samples of the kernels were determined at axial, lateral and longitudinal loading.  The breaking force and energy of cashew kernels followed a non-steady pattern with moisture removal at constant temperature and different durations of drying.  However, to save energy and time, drying at 80 o C for 5 h and drying at 90 o C for 3 h are recommended for high quality kernels.