Method and device for treatment of nuts etc., in particular for producing nuts etc. with improved peelability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for peeling nuts often result in a high percentage of broken kernels, and thermal processes can decompose valuable ingredients like oils, failing to effectively separate the edible kernel from the inedible shell while also risking ingredient degradation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the application of a non-thermal electric field with short high-voltage pulses to soften the nut shell, allowing for easier peeling and separation of the kernel, combined with optional steam treatment and pressure to enhance the process, using a device with a capacitor and high-voltage pulse generator to generate the electric field.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If thermal processes are used to soften the shell before peeling, then the shell becomes easier to separate, but valuable ingredients like oils are thermally decomposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal processes with electrical field treatment. Specifically, it uses pulsed electric fields (PEF) or corona discharge to weaken the shell structure through electrostatic forces and localized heating without raising the overall temperature, thereby avoiding thermal decomposition of oils while still enabling easy shell separation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter from temperature-based softening to electric field-based softening. By applying high-voltage pulses or corona discharge, the shell's structural integrity is compromised through electrical forces, achieving the same softening effect without the harmful thermal side effects
2Force
If high pressure is applied during peeling to separate the shell, then separation force is sufficient, but the kernel is more likely to crack and break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies electrical field treatment before the actual peeling process. This preliminary action weakens the shell's structural strength and creates micro-fractures, so that subsequent low-pressure mechanical separation can easily remove the shell without requiring high forces that would crack the kernel
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical pre-softening (crushing, grinding) with electrical field treatment. The electrical forces selectively weaken the shell while leaving the kernel intact, enabling gentle subsequent separation without kernel damage
3Device complexity
If conventional mechanical peeling is used without pretreatment, then the process is simple, but a high percentage of kernels remain attached to shells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a non-mechanical electrical field treatment step that selectively weakens shell-adhesion bonds. This allows simple mechanical peeling to become highly effective, as the electrical pre-treatment has already compromised the shell structure and adhesion, enabling complete separation with minimal additional complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enables improved peeling properties, allowing for higher percentages of intact kernel separation with reduced pressure and simpler conditions, while preserving the integrity of the nut ingredients by avoiding thermal damage.
Implementation Method 1
the capacitor comprises at least two electrodes connected to a high-voltage pulse generator which generates electric fields in the form of short pulses in the microsecond to millisecond range of a high voltage in the kilovolt range
Implementation Method 2
The applied electric field is a non-thermal electric field in which the upper energy limit is such that essentially no heating of the nuts in the sense of ohmic heating occurs
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for treating nuts (3), in particular for producing nuts (3) with improved shelling properties in comparison to untreated nuts (3). The invention also relates to a device (1) for treating nuts (3), in particular for producing nuts (3) with improved shelling properties in comparison to untreated nuts (3), comprising a hermetically sealable treatment chamber (2) for conditioning the nuts (3). In order to provide a method and a device for treating nuts, which does not damage the contents of the kernal and simultaneously permits the improved shelling of the nuts and the broken-open shell to be better separated from the kernel, the method according to the invention comprises a weakening of the shell of the nuts (3) by applying an electrical field, and the device according to the invention comprises at least one capacitor (4) for generating an electrical field in the treatment chamber (2).