Pecan Processing Plant & Machinery Solutions

Sticks, hull fragments, stones and light material are removed from the in-shell lot, which is then separated into size bands. Cracking equipment is set band by band, so sizing comes before it rather than after.

The in-shell nuts are wetted or steam-conditioned so the kernel takes up a little moisture and turns pliable. A conditioned kernel flexes as the shell breaks instead of fracturing into small pieces, which is what protects the halves yield.

The conditioned shell is cracked and then broken away from the kernel. Pecan shell is thin and splinters readily, so shelling and fragment extraction run together with dust pick-up on the line.

Shell, mid-piece and kernel are separated by weight and by air flow, and the light shell fraction is drawn off. What carries forward is a stream of halves and pieces with the bulk of the shell already removed.

The moisture added at conditioning is dried out again so the kernel is crisp, and the kernels are sized into halves and piece grades. Halves are moved gently through this stage to avoid breaking the grade that has just been protected.

Colour sorting and camera inspection remove shell fragments and dark kernel before the product is weighed and packed. Bulk cartons for industry and sealed retail pouches are both run from the same finishing line.