Drying is the most important stage of walnut processing in walnut orchards and private households. In home gardens or industrial gardens that have just begun to bear fruit and yield only a couple of bags, drying is carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. With large volumes, this method is not suitable, since industrial gardens produce a crop of tens and thousands of tons.
Walnut Drying Problems:
The first problem is the drying of a walnut with the remains of a green pericarp. This does not affect the drying process, but the quality of the walnut, the processing and the cost of the walnut are directly affected. The pericarp dried on the walnut stains the shell and the kernel in a dark color, interferes with the cracking of the walnut and significantly reduces the cost of the walnut and the kernel.
Always clean the walnut from the pericarp and its remains. So you get a quality walnut and earn more.
The second problem concerns large volumes of walnuts (from a ton or more). Naturally drying a walnut requires a large area - outdoors and indoors. For drying, the walnut is spread in a thin layer on nets, tarpaulins or pallets. Since the weather outside is unstable, the walnut must be cleaned at night in a dry room. In addition to the place, human labor is naturally needed for drying, namely, personnel who will monitor the weather, turn the walnut over for even drying, bring it into the room and take it back to the street. The larger the volume of the nut, the more space and staff will be required.
For drying industrial volumes of walnuts, a dryer or drying complexes are needed. This is the equipment on which neither garden owners nor those who buy fresh walnuts from the population can save.
Insufficient or uneven drying increases the risk of mold. Mold can appear both within a month after drying, and later. They will not buy walnut with mold, which means that the owner will receive losses.
To check the moisture content of the walnut, a moisture meter is used; the moisture content for the walnut in the shell should not exceed 10%. Unfortunately, it is impossible to check the uniformity of drying, and one should only hope for a responsible attitude of the staff to their work and good conditions for drying.
The dryers have a walnut mixing system and temperature control, which ensures high-quality walnut drying.
There are situations when, after drying, the walnut turned out to be overdried. Such situations are extremely unpleasant, since an overdried walnut loses weight and elasticity, and during processing it begins to crumble badly. It is impossible to increase the humidity of a walnut on an industrial scale. Therefore, always monitor the drying process and use moisture meters to prevent excessive moisture loss.
You can learn more about walnut dryers and the drying process from our managers +380956351509 Viber/WhatsApp/Telegram.