The pods ripen fairly evenly and by growing varieties in which the pods abscise fairly easily harvesting can be done in a single pass. The transport of pods from the harvester to the shed requires special equipment as the harvester can pick about 15 tonnes per hour. The process of breaking up the pod and separating the seed and kibble requires a regional processing facility. Production must currently be exported as there is no local processing facility. It is estimated that a throughput of at least several hundred tonnes would be required for a viable processing operation for gum production.
Carob powder is made by gentle roasting and grinding.
Carob syrup is made by dissolving the sugars and flavour and then concentrating the mixture to a syrup. Carob has a delicious flavour and is seen as a healthy and tasty alternative to coffee or chocolate. It has the advantage of not containing the caffeine stimulant contained in coffee or the theobromine stimulant found in chocolate. The orchard at Burra has now established the carob industry in Australia but increased production will be required to warrant construction of a local gum extraction plant. Once production has reached a suitable level a marketing program will be required to exploit its undoubted potential as a food and drink flavouring.