Before the thin, papery seed coat (testa) can be removed, the kernels must be dried. Nuts are dried on big racks in an oven at 70°c. The testa becomes dry and brittle and is easily removed. The remaining traces of membrane are removed with bamboo knives. Modern factories use electronic machines to detect nuts with pieces of remaining testa which are then sorted and cleaned by hand.
The testa of the kernel is rich in tannins and hence mainly uses in leather industry. It is also used as poultry feed.
REJECTED CASHEWCashews which are not edible are called rejected cashews. These are used to extract oil. The cashew rejection oil is good raw material for Soap manufacturing unit.
