# how do sunflower seeds get deshelled for sale?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sunflower-seeds-get-deshelled-for-sale/246600>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 23, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sunflower-seeds-get-deshelled-for-sale/246600 "2004-05-23T01:56:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sunflower-seeds-get-deshelled-for-sale/246600/1 "2004-05-23T01:56:29Z")

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I bought a bag of deshelled sunflower seeds and i’m wondering how they get the shell off?

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sunflower-seeds-get-deshelled-for-sale/246600/2 "2004-05-23T02:30:46Z")

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[They use a machine like this one.](http://vivas.hypermart.net/China/TFK800III_A_e.htm)

It appears that they’re cleaned, hulled (probably they go through a pressure roller to crack the shells and then they’re vibrated/agitated) and then separated in two stages.

First they use suction to pick the shells out, which makes sense because they’re much lighter. Then a second separator sorts the seeds and the kernels. I’m guessing that one uses a big ol’ vibrating sieve. Then the seeds are cleaned again.

Whee.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sunflower-seeds-get-deshelled-for-sale/246600/3 "2004-05-23T02:44:32Z")

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Don’t miss [the video](http://vivas.hypermart.net/China/800-III.ram), by the way. (I did.)

It’s Realvideo, which sucks, but it’s informative, explaining each step in detail. And it has _Fur Elise_ (and some heavy breathing) on the sound track, instead of the godawful racket you might expect. Bonus!