The quality of cashew kernel products depends a great deal on the quality of raw cashews which are put into processing. It could be said that eighty percent of kernel quality is determined by the quality of raw cashew nuts. In addition to the raw cashew nut, the human factor also has a great impact on product quality. Thus, it is necessary to build and implement the system of comprehensive quality management (CQM) in the processing of cashews to strengthen consumer confidence in the quality of products.
The contents of the CQM system in cashew nut production include:
- Training on the CQM system for everyone from the top leaders to employees of the unit. This training needs to be carried out regularly in the form of:
- (a): Learning about existing issues in working with lecturers who are leaders, managers, and professional officers.
- (b): Opening short-term or part-time in-service classes at the unit. These classes are taught by lecturers who are experts invited from outside. They help students to broaden their horizons, update their CQM practices, and learn from the experiences of other units.
- (c) Sending people for training at schools, institutes, etc.
- Managing daily work:
- Training according to standards, controlling fluctuations in production and work, making statistics of data at each job, regularly maintaining machines, equipment, workshops, etc.
- Finding the cause of problems, damage in the production and work, then taking timely corrective and preventive measures in the future.
- Managing Quality Policy:
It is necessary to manage quality policy with the aims of enhancing the competitive position of cashew products in the market and meeting all consumer demands and fluctuations through systematic and continuous improvement of all manufacturing activities in the organization.
"Quality Policy" includes: Plan (P) - Do (D) - Check (C) - Action (A):
- Plan: to set goals and strategies for quality.
- Do: to create cohesion among members within the unit to motivate everyone to give initiatives, which ensures plan (P) is done (D) in the best way.
- Check: to check and confirm the achieved results regularly or periodically by month, quarter, year. It is necessary to establish a team of internal quality auditors to carry out the check (C).
- Action: to identify clearly where the error comes from when the stated goal is not achieved. Are those problems caused by Planning or by Doing? To find out the main cause of the failure by using statistical quality control and process control tools, thereby proposing specific actions (A) to overcome and prevent.
- Cross – Functional administration
To facilitate the exchange of information between departments with the aim of creating a unity of all activities in the unit, thereby fully satisfying consumer and society demands for product quality. Cross-Functional administration will remove barriers between departments and divisions, which creates the compact and reasonable apparatus for the most effective operation.
- Building quality control groups (QC):
The purpose of building a QC team is to create a comfortable, self-disciplined working environment, which stimulates everyone to give their initiatives and improvements from small to large with the aim of constantly improving the quality of products.
Below are some quality control sheet samples of the process and the product through statistics in the combined mechanical and manual cashew nut processing system.
- Tracking sheet of raw cashews put into production
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Date: |
Lot: |
Weight: kg |
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Average moisture |
% |
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The ratio of floating nuts by weight |
% |
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The ratio of sinking nuts by weight |
% |
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The ratio of wormy nuts by weight |
% |
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The ratio of kernels in sinking nuts |
% |
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The ratio of kernels in floating nuts |
% |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of raw cashews included in the grading
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Date: |
Lot: |
Weight: kg |
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Graded products: |
Moisture % |
Number of nuts/kg |
Weight (kg) |
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- Size A |
% |
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- Size B |
% |
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- Size C |
% |
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- Size D |
% |
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- Foreign matters (soil, sand, etc.) |
% |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of raw cashews put into humidification:
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Date: |
Lot: |
Weight (kg) |
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Materials |
Before humidification |
During humidification |
After humidification |
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Weight(kg) |
Moisture (%) |
Soaking (h) |
Watering (times) |
Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
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- Size A |
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- Size B |
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- Size C |
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- Size D |
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Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of raw cashews put into oil colander:
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Date: |
Lot: |
Weight |
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Material |
Before peeling |
During oil colander |
After oil colander |
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Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
Temperature ( degree C) |
Time (minutes) |
Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
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- Size A |
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- Size B |
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- Size C |
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- Size D |
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Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of raw cashews for cutting and peeling
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Date: |
Lot: |
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Material |
Before peeling |
Reclaiming fresh kernels |
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Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
Whole (kg) |
Broken (kg) |
Damage (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
The percentage of reclaimed kernels (%) |
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Size A |
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Size B |
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Size C |
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Size D |
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Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of fresh kernels put into drying:
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Date: |
Lot: |
Wholes (kg) |
Broken (kg) |
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Fresh kernel |
Before drying |
During drying |
Obtained product |
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Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
Temperature (degree C) |
Time (hour) |
Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
The percentage of reclaimed kernels (%) |
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Whole |
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Broken |
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Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of dried kernels put in peeling testa skin
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Date: |
Lot: |
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Drying kernels |
Unpeeled kernels |
Peeled kernels |
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Weight (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
Whole (kg) |
Broken (kg) |
Damage (kg) |
Moisture (%) |
The percentage of reclaimed kernels (%) |
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Whole |
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Broken |
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Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet for product classification according to TCVN 4850 – 1998
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Date: |
Lot: |
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Cashew kernels put into grading |
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Weight (kg) |
Moisture |
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Wholes: |
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Broken kernels: |
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Grades |
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Wholes |
Broken |
Wormy |
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W180:…kg |
WB:…kg |
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W240 |
WS |
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W280 |
SB |
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W320 |
SS |
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W400 |
LP |
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W500 |
SP |
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BB |
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SW240 |
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SW320 |
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SW |
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SSW |
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DW |
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… |
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Peeling & Shaving |
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Total: |
Total: |
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Comment: |
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- Tracking sheet of total product package
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Date: |
Lot: |
The weight of cashews put into packaging |
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Whole:…kg |
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Broken:…kg |
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Whole |
W 180 |
W 240 |
W 280 |
W 320 |
W 400 |
W 500 |
SW 240 |
SW 320 |
SW |
DW |
… |
Total |
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Number of containers: |
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Broken |
WB |
WS |
SB |
SS |
LP |
SP |
BB |
… |
… |
… |
… |
Total |
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Number of containers: |
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Comment: |
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REFERENCE
Thanh, D. P. (2003). Cashew nuts - Production and Processing.
