Effective Conditions for Extracting Higher Quality Kernels from the Sonnati salams Apricot

This study focused on researching the effective conditions for extracting high quality apricot kernels. Specifically, we analyze the effects of moisture content and compression axis on the amount of force needed to crack apricot pits and kernels. Apricot pits were analyzed at 6.82, 12.93, 17.81 and 23.01% wet base moisture contents and apricot kernels were analyzed at 2.86, 4.10, 8.81 and 13.03% wet base moisture contents. Apricot pits and kernels were compressed at different moisture contents and the amounts of needed force for cracking were calculated along the length, width and thickness of pits and kernels. It was observed that, with increasing moisture content of the apricot pits and kernels, the energy for cracking decreased. Furthermore, this study also revealed that cracking an apricot pit requires higher rupture force and energy when compressed along its length and that cracking an apricot kernel requires higher rupture force when compressed along its thickness. Results showed that for the proper extraction of kernels, apricot pits should be compressed along its width at certain moisture content, which is very important for designing apricot pit-crushing machines.