GB499976A - Improvements relating to the treatment of nuts - Google Patents

Abstract

499,976. Husking nuts. THORNE, B., and ELLIOTT, F. C. May 1, 1937, Nos. 87/37 and 162/38. [Class 58] To facilitate the removal of the white meat from coconuts or other large nuts such as palm nuts, hot gas is caused to flow at low velocity over the internal surface of the meat. In one method of operation each nut is first drilled at its base and the milk extracted : it is then placed in an oven 1 on a nozzle 2 which is one of a series projecting upwards from a pipe system connected to a fan 4. Steam from a boiler is fed into the oven through openings 5 and the fan started to draw the steam into the nuts. After the nuts have been steamed for about two hours, the steam supply is cut off and replaced by hot air at a temperature of 170‹ F. for about two hours : a door 8 is then opened and a rack, through which the nozzles 2 project, is swung about a pivot 11 to lift the nuts from the nozzles and to throw them into a well 15. Broken nuts are removed from the well and the remainder passed along a trough 16 where they are broken by pneumatically actuated hammers 17. In a modification steam and air are positively fed into the nuts instead of being drawn therethrough. In a modified method the nuts are split in two and placed on a wire gauze tray on a trolley which is pushed into an oven so that each nut is situated above a nozzle through which steam and air are drawn or forced as before. The nozzles may project through the gauze in which case the nuts are placed in position on the gauze in the oven and removed by tilting the gauze or lifting it bodily. The nozzles may be fitted to a pipe system mounted on a trolley and each nozzle may be controlled by its own valve.