Kernel breakage in the ‘Beaumont’ macadamia cultivar

Whole macadamia kernel commands a premium price relative to half kernel and smaller pieces. ‘Beaumont’, the most commonly planted cultivar in South Africa, is particularly prone to kernel breakage and interventions aimed at increasing whole kernel will lead to an increase in profitability.
This study confirmed that ‘Beaumont’ is more prone to breakage than other commonly planted cultivars.
It was shown that appropriate selection and adjustment of the dehusking and cracking apparatus used in processing may reduce kernel breakage.
More significantly, improvements in nut curing may also offer a practical means of increasing whole kernel.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposium on Nut Crops

M.G. Penter, I. Bertling, A.D. Sippel

Macadamia integrifolia, M. tetraphylla, quality, value, dehusking, curing, cracking

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1109.6