Abstract: The removing of shell and inner cover of Chinese chestnut, the first working procedure in chestnut deep processing,is always the technique difficulty to be resolved, which has become a restricting factor in Chinese chestnut processing industry.In this research, the microwave technology was introduced into the chestnut shelling for the purpose of developing an effectivemethod of chestnut shelling. The results showed that the shelling could be achieved by microwave processing, where the shellingrate was 90% in one processing. The optimized technology conditions were as follows: raw chestnut → weihing and classifying→ preheating and drying(90℃, 15 min) → pulsing treatment by microwave (average power 495 W) → cracking → removing ofshell and inner cover → chestnut kernel (or powder).

Key words: microwave, Chinese chestnuts, shelling, technology