♪♪
Narrator: PECANS GROW ON TREES
THAT ARE NATIVE TO
SOUTH-CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA.
IN FACT, "PECAN" IS
AN ALGONQUIN WORD
THAT MEANS "A NUT THAT TAKES
A STONE TO CRACK."
TODAY, COMPUTERIZED SHELLING
MACHINES DO THAT JOB FOR YOU.
♪♪
PECANS ADD FLAVOR
AND CRUNCH TO ANY RECIPE.
THEY CAN ALSO BE A SATISFYING
TREAT ON THEIR OWN.
BUT MANUFACTURING PECANS IS AN
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT NUT TO CRACK.
AT HARVEST TIME, THE HUSKS THAT
CONTAIN THE NUTS START TO OPEN.
AT THIS ORCHARD,
A MACHINE GRABS THE TREE TRUNKS
AND SHAKES THE NUTS
TO THE GROUND.
♪♪
ONCE ON THE GROUND,
A SWEEPER MOVES THE PECANS
AWAY FROM THE TREES
AND INTO A ROW.
IT ALSO BLOWS AWAY
SOME OF THE LIGHTER DEBRIS.
♪♪
A HARVESTER WITH PADDLE WHEELS
COLLECTS THE PECANS.
ONCE ON THE HARVESTER,
THE PECANS RIDE CHAIN CONVEYORS
AS VACUUMS REMOVE
AND DISCARD DEBRIS
THEN THE PECANS ARE TRANSFERRED
TO A CLEANING PLANT.
THE PECANS ARE UNLOADED
INTO A PIT,
AND A CONVEYOR
TAKES THEM INSIDE.
THE PECANS FUNNEL INTO A SLOTTED
DRUM AND TUMBLE AROUND.
THE DRUM SORTS
THE DEHUSKED PECANS
FROM THOSE THAT HAVE RETAINED
THEIR HUSKS.
IN THIS ENCLOSED MACHINE,
SPINNING WIRE BRUSHES
REMOVE MORE OF THE HUSKS.
BLOWERS RELEASE THE LIGHTER
HUSKS INTO A BIG BIN
TO BE DISPOSED OF LATER.
AFTER MORE PROCESSING,
PICTURES OF THE NUTS
ARE TAKEN WITH CAMERAS.
A COMPUTER MONITORS
THE PICTURES
FOR ANY HUSKS
STILL ATTACHED TO THE PECANS.
IF ANY ARE IDENTIFIED,
THE COMPUTER ACTIVATES
A BLOWER TO REMOVE THEM.
WITH THE HUSKS REMOVED,
HARVESTERS SORT OUT
ANY OF THE PECANS THAT
ARE CRACKED OR SPLIT OPEN.
AT THIS POINT, THE PECANS
CONTAIN ABOUT 12% MOISTURE,
WHICH IS HIGH ENOUGH
TO CAUSE DETERIORATION.
SO HARVESTERS LEAVE THE PECANS
TO DRY FOR 24 HOURS,
TO LOWER THEIR MOISTURE CONTENT
TO 4%.
ONCE DRYING IS COMPLETE,
THE PECANS ARE TRANSFERRED
TO THE SHELLING PLANT,
WHERE THEY ARE PLUNGED INTO
A CHLORINE-AND-WATER BATH.
THIS BOTH CLEANS THEM
AND REHYDRATES THEM.
WITHOUT SUFFICIENT MOISTURE,
THE PECANS WILL BREAK INTO BITS
DURING CRACKING,
AND THE OBJECTIVE IS TO EXTRACT
INTACT HALVES FOR RETAIL.
THE PECANS ARE RINSED IN WATER
AT A TEMPERATURE
OF 180 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THIS STEP
REMOVES CHLORINE RESIDUE,
SANITIZES THE PECANS,
AND RAISES THE MOISTURE CONTENT
TO 7.5%.
NOW IT'S TIME TO GET CRACKING
WITH THE COMPLETELY
AUTOMATED PROCESS.
INSIDE THE SHELLER,
PISTONS HIT EACH END
OF A NUT SIMULTANEOUSLY,
CRACKING IT CLEANLY.
THE DESHELLED PECANS TRAVEL
ACROSS A VIBRATING SIFTER
THAT SORTS THEM BY SIZE.
THEN THE PECANS FALL IN FRONT
OF AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM,
WHICH RELEASES A BLAST OF AIR
THAT REMOVES ANY LINGERING
SHELL PIECES.
A SECOND SIFTING SYSTEM
REMOVES ANY ADDITIONAL
SMALL PECAN BITS.
THESE PECANS WILL BE PROCESSED
INTO CANDY BARS
AND COMMERCIAL PASTRIES.
THE ELECTRONIC SORTER
HAS REMOVED MOST OF THE SHELLS,
BUT NOT ALL OF THEM.
TECHNICIANS VISUALLY SCAN
THE PECANS
AND PICK OUT
THE REMAINING SHELLS.
THE PECANS CONTINUE ALONG
THE CONVEYOR
AND FALL INTO CARDBOARD BOXES
AT THE END OF THE LINE.
TO PREPARE
A TOASTED PECAN SNACK FOOD,
SALT AND BUTTER ARE ADDED
TO THE NUTS.
THEN THE NUTS ARE COOKED
AND MIXED IN A ROASTER.
IN PACKAGING, TECHNICIANS
POUR THE PECANS
INTO MEASURING JUGS,
THEN EMPTY THEM
INTO PLASTIC BAGS.
♪♪
HOT JAWS SEAL
THE TOPS OF THE BAGS
TO KEEP THE PECANS FRESH
AND EXTEND THEIR SHELF LIFE.
READY FOR RETAIL, CONSUMERS
WON'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE
CRACKING THESE PECANS.
THEY CAN GO STRAIGHT
TO SNACKING.
♪♪
