SELECTED DRYING CONDITIONS AND STORAGE PERIOD AND QUALITY OF WALNUT SELECTIONS

Walnut selections were hulled at harvest time, and 3 and 5 days after harvest to determine the effects of hulling time on postharvest quality. Walnuts removed from their hulls were stored shelled and unshelled under ambient conditions after being dried at selected conditions.
Among the tested hulling dates, the best results were obtained from the walnuts hulled at harvest time. At the end of the storage period, the least quality losses were determined in the walnuts dried in the sun. Generally, quality losses in the shelled walnuts were greater than quality losses in the unshelled walnuts. According to the research results, walnuts removed from their hulls and dried under sun can be stored under ambient conditions (21 ± 1C and 50–65 RH) and retain acceptable quality for 12 months.