Macadamia
We deal with two Macadamia species namely Macadamia Integrifolia (smooth shelled) and Macadamia Tetraphylla (Rough Shelled). They grow organically in the coastal and central parts of Kenya. We have established a process of purchasing them directly from the farmers. After purchasing we bring the product to our factory where we initiate the process of preparing them through Drying, Cracking , Sorting , Grading and Packaging them.
Drying is the most critical step in maximizing the quality of the end product. After harvesting, macadamias have a moisture content of up to 30%. In this step, the goal is to reduce kernel moisture content to below 1.5%. We use dryers that are heated at 40° to ensure that we achieve the desired moisture content.
We have installed cracking machines that crack the nuts while ensuring that the kernel is not destroyed. In addition, during drying the kernels shrink in size thus ensuring minimum kernel damage during cracking.
Mechanical equipment and hand sorting are used for sorting in-shell and shelled nuts according to size, color and the presence of defects.
The macadamia kernels are stored in aluminum foil bags which are flushed with Nitrogen to prevent moisture and oxygen which can affect the product crispiness.
Product Physical Qualities
| Macadamia Kernels | |
|---|---|
| Intact | Free from living pests |
| Sound | Free from damage caused by pests |
| Clean | Free from visible mold filaments |
| Sufficiently developed | Free from rancidity |
| Free from blemishes, areas of discoloration, or spread stains | Free from abnormal external moisture |
| Well formed | Free from foreign smell and/or taste |
Product Grading
| STYLE | DESCRIPTION | SIZE |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Wholes: shall consist of at least 95% whole kernels with the remaining percentage consisting of pieces | of which no more than 1% will pass through a 6.25 mm (¼ inch) square opening. |
| 1L | Wholes: shall consist of at least 90% whole kernels, with the remaining percentage consisting of pieces | of which no more than 1% will pass through a 6.25 mm (¼ inch) square. |
| 1S | Wholes and halves: shall consist of at least 50% whole kernels, with the remaining percentage consisting of pieces | of which no more than 2% will pass through a 7.8 mm (5/16 inch) square opening. |
| 4 | Halves and pieces: shall consist of at least 50% half kernels, with the remaining percentage consisting of pieces with no more than 5% larger than half kernels | Style 4 L: kernel size is larger than 16 mm (round caliber). Style 4 S: kernel size is between 10-14 mm (round caliber). |
| BBN | Smaller Wholes: 95% Wholes 5% Halves | 11mm to 14mm |
| 5 | Large diced: shall consist of units which are smaller than half kernels | of such size that no more than 5% will pass through a 7.8 mm x 25 mm (5/16 inch x 1 inch) opening, included therein not more than 2% that will pass through a 2.34 mm (3/32 inch) square opening |
| 6 | Chips: shall consist of unit | that at least 95% will pass through a 7.8 mm x 25 mm (5/16 inch x 1 inch) opening but no more than 2% will pass through a 2.34 mm (3/32 inch) square opening. |
