MUMBAI, India, March 13 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641025067 A) filed by Binu K Mathew; Er. Ancy Sara Varghese; Jim Joyal Mattam; Juan Joyel Rajeev; Meghna S Nair; and Saintgits College Of Engineering, Kurichy, Kerala, on March 3, for 'nutmeg decorticator with automated mace separation and sorting.'
Inventor(s) include Er. Ancy Sara Varghese; Jim Joyal Mattam; Juan Joyel Rajeev; and Meghna S Nair.
The application for the patent was published on March 13, under issue no. 11/2026.
According to the abstract released by the Intellectual Property India: "The present invention relates to an automated nutmeg decortication and mace separation machine, designed to reduce manual labor and improve consistency in nutmeg processing. The system integrates feeding, nutmeg alignment, controlled pushing-based separation, mace discharge, and sorting within a compact mechanical and electronic arrangement. The machine comprises a feeding mechanism for single nutmeg delivery, a rotating indexing lid with multiple nutmeg holders, an infrared sensor for nutmeg presence detection, and a camera-based alignment unit for hilum detection. The nutmeg is indexed through sequential stations, where hilum detection assists in orientation and alignment. A lead screw pusher mechanism driven by a stepper motor applies controlled linear force, allowing the nutmeg seed to fall through a bottom opening while retaining mace within the holder. Further, the invention includes a mace discharge and quality sorting arrangement. A color sensor detects red color to identify incomplete separation or mace presence, and the output is directed into separate collection bins for good and reject/rework samples. The invention thereby provides a reliable and efficient nutmeg processing solution suitable for small-scale and semi-automated applications."
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
