The present invention relates to a process for working and transforming products, in particular agricultural-foodstuff products, specifically products with shells, relatively to shelling, namely the separation of a shell from a fruit and the removal of skins form the external parts of the shelled fruit.

Currently known systems in the art have inconveniences deriving from the fact that, for every type of product with a shell, they need, for shelling operations, one or more machines or one or more particular systems, suitably studied and built.

The field in which the present invention operates refers in particular to technical systems currently and generically in use with specific plants and lines, different for every type of product, both in preparation, and in the process of breaking the shell and separating the shelled fruit.

The current system, that performs the so-called "shelling process", provides the solution of specifics for every type of product and every quantitative program, and compulsorily requires big-sized rooms depending on the production quality and quantity.

The so-called common and generic process for breaking the shell, designated as "shelling", compulsorily determines the work with individual machines for every type and every size of every quality of product, mentioning for example hazels nuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, nuts, cashew nuts, Brasilian nuts, pine seeds, etc.

Such working system, generically and currently in use in order to pre-arrange the product for the shelling or shell-breaking process, needs and must be previously equipped with a complex system for selecting, handling and transporting the product.

Such system for pre-arranging the product for the shelling process must be differentiated for every product quality and every size, and in proportion to sizes deriving from the quantitative program, as well as in different and proportional powers of applied electric energy.

FR-A-2450067 discloses a process of the above- mentioned type, which needs a first calibrating step, a pre-fragilisation step and a second calibrating step before cooling the products: this increases the number of steps and the costs for working such products. Moreover, there is no step of heating the product before supplying it to the cooling step.

WO-A-99/15843 discloses a method and apparatus for cryogenic rheological modification of shelled food where there is no step of heating the product before supplying it to the cooling step; moreover, in the preferred embodiment of WO-A-99/15843, there is an hydrating step, which is not provided in the present invention.

GB-A-21931 discloses a process for the extraction of kernels from nuts which only provides a heating step for facilitating the extraction.

Therefore, object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a process and a system for shelling or breaking a shell, that allow directly passing, automatically or manually, from the storage directly to the shelling (or shell breaking) of the products, avoiding the processes for preparing, sizing or any other intermediate steps performed in current processes.

The present invention allows the process of shelling or shell breaking for all product qualities, for all sizes and in the amounts in which one has to operate, with a single solution valid for every type and quality of the shelled products, mentioning for example hazels nuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, nuts, cashew nuts, Brasilian nuts, pine seeds, etc.

The present invention Further allows making a final agricultural-foodstuff product that is perfectly whole and with a better quality with respect to the one obtained with existing systems.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a process and a system as claimed in the respective independent Claims. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are claimed in the dependent Claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, given as a non- limiting ^■ example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention.

With ^' reference to the Figure, a preferred, but non- limiting, embodiment is shown, of the system that allows performing a process for working and transforming agricultural-foodstuff products of the present invention.

Such ^' process consists in performing the shelling or shell breaking process in a time which is different according to product quality and size and which can change within a range up to about 30 minutes.

The inventive process consists in pre-arranging and contacting, or in handling by contact, through any transporting and handling process of any type of shelled product, with such a specific material as to generate low-temperature cold.

In particular, in a non-limiting way, such specific material is liquid nitrogen, or helium, or a low- temperature cooled chamber (criogenic chamber) . Obviously, other materials or solutions are possible, or other liquid gases compatible with foodstuff working, that allow generating low-temperature cold.

With this innovative cooling solution, the process allows the immediate, or almost immediate, cracking or weakening of the shell structure, so that a simple following system, both for shalking and for compressing or other, allows its breaking and the following separation of tge shell from the fruit.

The steps of the inventive process therefore are as follows : supplying the product to be shelled; cooling the product to be shelled;

- breaking the shell of the cooled product; and separating the broken shell from the product.

For some type of products, for example pine seeds, it can be useful to provide, upstream of the step of supplying the product to be shelled, a step of heating the product itself, at a temperature ranging from about 20 ⁰ C to 80 ⁰ C.

Cooling, instead, is performed at a temperature from 0 ⁰ C to -250 ⁰ C: when liquid nitrogen is used, the operating temperature, as known, is preferably equal to about -195°C.

The cooling cycle depends on the type of product to be shelled; ideal cycle times range from about 2 seconds to 5 minutes.

The invention also comprises a system for performing the above process, which system is made as either a fixed, or a flexible, transportable, transformable and adaptable system.

• In particular, such system comprises: means 1 for supplying the product to be shelled; means 3 for cooling the product to be shelled; and means 5 for breaking the shell of the cooled product .

In Figure 1, reference numbers 4 designate respective means for loading and unloading the products to be shelled onto/from the cooling means 3.

Such system is unique for all type of shelled products to be worked, such as hazels nuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, nuts, cashew nuts, Brasilian nuts and pine seeds, etc.

In particular, but not in a limiting way, the means 1 for supplying the product to be shelled are composed of a variable flow-rate conveyor.

Instead, the means 3 for cooling the product to be shelled are composed in particular of a container, preferably connected to a vessel 2 for the cooling liquid; in such cooling means 3, movements occur, as schematically shown in Figure 1, inside the container to allow the contact of the product to be shelled with the cooling means (liquid) . In such means 3, therefore, the innovative cooling generates the shell cracking, making it easily able to be broken with suitable downstrewam operations .

Moreover, the means 5 for breaking the shell of the cooled product are preferably composed of throwing means, made as a fan with adjustable speed, that, by pushing the product to bump against suitable walls, generate its shelling.

As alternative, the means 5 for breaking the shell of the cooled product are preferably composed of squashing or beating or abrading means by contact or compression of the product: the final result is the breaking of the shell of the treated products.

The particularity of the present invention also allows using very simplified means 5 for breaking the shell; for example, throwing means that once could be used only for some types of products, can now be applied to almost all products to be shelled, since the shell has already previously cracked by the upstream cooling means.

Downstream of the means 5 for breaking the shell, finally, traditional means (not shown) are provided, that perform the separation of the shell from the unshelled product .

The above-mentioned system is operating for every type of product, avoiding the preparation for sizing, necessary with current systems, and operates with the handling process for contacting the product.

The system made in this way allows working in reduced spaces, without the need of big-sized spaces like in current plants. Moreover, the system 1 allows working with an electric potentiality and related components in very reduced proportions with respect to the current system.

Still more, the inventive system allows designing and manufacturing lines and plants for working and transforming dry fruits as a whole, with greatly reduced and economically different sizes and programs, with reference to the production that can be obtained with current and genering systems being used.

The system allows applying to the product a cold- only thermal contrast with various times and at various temperatures, or allows applying to the products the cold/hot thermal contrast, or still more the hot/cold/hot thermal contrast.