Processing of Makhana

2. Seeds Cleaning and Storage
Once the seeds are collected, they are stored in a horn shaped equipment called ‘Gaanja’. The process of shaking is done again in a cylindrical equipment so as to clean them further. Once cleaned, these seeds are left out in the Sun for drying for a couple of hours and then packed into smaller bags. The makhana seeds lose up to  31 percent of the moisture under direct Sunlight, this in turn makes it easy for them to be transported to the trading markets and also increase the longevity of the seeds. The seeds can be stored up to a month and also should be sprinkled with water to maintain the freshness. In the traditional system, long and cylindrical bamboo sticks are used to preserve them. These are further covered  and plastered with cow dung. It is also carefully covered with  a coarse cloth in order to maintain the required temperature.

3. Makhana Grading
All processed seeds are sieved multiple times for grading. The grading  process includes different sizes of makhana seeds to pass through different sieving devices that are essentially rectangular iron plates , also known as ‘jharna’, in a few Indian states. The process becomes lengthy as all differently sized seeds are made to pass through up to 10 different sieves. These graded seeds are then stored safely in different packings. Grading of  seed enables uniform heating of each nut during roasting and it increases the efficiency of fox nut’s processing. There are generally two grades of seeds at the producer level- lawa and thurri. While lawa is swollen and is white in colour with reddish spots, thurri is 

semi-popped, is hard and is reddish in colour. 

4. Pre-Heating: The sun-dried nuts are generally heated in cast iron pans or earthen pitchers by placing them over fire and stirring them continuously. The surface temperature of the pan varies from 250° C – 3000° C and time for heating is nearly 5 to 6 minutes at full capacity of the earthen pitcher. 

5. Seed Tempering: The heated seeds need to be kept in ambient and appropriate conditions for up to three days, also known as the tempering of makhana seeds. This process helps in loosening the kernels within the hard seed coat.

6. Roasting  and Popping of Seeds: Makhana seeds need to be roasted immediately after they have dried. This is done at high temperature and usually in a cast iron pan along with continuous stirring. This further ensures they last long, else they have the tendency to get spoilt. 

Once the fried seeds cool off, then these seeds are manually cleaned, hammered with a wooden object until the white puff pops out of the black coloured seeds. With the breaking of the shell, the kernel pops out and immediately expands and becomes double of its size. This is the makhana pop or the lawa. It is important that no residue of the black seed is left on the doubly expanded white puff and kept in packets for selling them in the markets. 

7. Polishing: Makhana seeds then undergo the process of polishing by rubbing the Makhana pops among themselves in bamboo baskets. Polishing smoothen the surface, provides more whiteness and lustre to the pop. 

8. Packaging: A mix of lined polythene bags and also ordinary gunny bags of different sizes are used to pack popped Makhana. 

Tools and Equipment Used During Post Harvesting: 

There are a number of equipment and machines that are used in makhana or fox nut processing. Listed below are some of the traditionally used tools in differet parts of India.

 Aphara, Batna and Thaapi: These are  widely used wooden tools made mostly of sheesham wood or mango wood. Aphara is a sturdy and strong platform on which roasted seeds are hit with a flat hammer again made of wood and is called Thaapi. 

 Bamboo Sticks:These specially made sticks are used to stir the Makhana seeds while roasting them. 

 Cast Iron Pan:Cast iron pans are widely used as a cooking pan  or utensil for  pre-heating  and  roasting  of Makhana seeds. These specially made pans under put in very high temperatures and also aid in uniform roasting of the seeds.

 Khonnghi or Deli: This tool is a small bamboo stick bucket in cylindrical shape. It is mainly used for storing raw, popped seed and in polishing operation. 

 Mats: A number of flat mats made up of different materials are used for rying raw Makhana seeds before roasting.  These mats are kept under direct Sun and facilitate uniform drying of makhana seeds. 

 Sieves: A number of different types of sieves are used during grading process. These sieves are made of iron sheets and have wooden frames. Usually seven to ten types of sieves of different mesh sizes are used for grading of raw Makhana seed.