The fibrous outer green husk of Macadamia is removed within 24 hours of harvest to reduce heat respiration and to facilitate drying. The husk material is recycled as organic garden mulch and the nut in shell is sent to the commercial processors. Drying is a critical step in the macadamia processing chain, it maximises shelf life and assures quality of the end product. The harvest finds Nuts with moisture content of up to 30%. Drying can take up to 3 weeks and finally reduces the moisture content to around 1.5%. The nut shrinks away from the inside of the shell and allows the shells to be cracked without damaging the nuts.


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