Design and Fabrication of a Yam Peeling Machine

S. J. Ojolo; J. I. Orisaleye; N. Badiru

S. J. Ojolo Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
J. I. Orisaleye
N. Badiru

Keywords: Efficiency, motorized peeling machine, peeling loss, peeling rate, yam

Abstract

Yam, Dioscorea sp., is an important root crop in the tropics, which can be processed into a wide variety of forms for consumption as food. However, peeling is an important process which increases the value of processed food. Yam peeling machines need to be developed for this purpose to replace the manual use of knives even on a domestic scale. A yam peeling machine which has a dual operation was developed in this study. The machine utilizes spring-loaded peeling knives and power screw mechanics during peeling operations. The machine was evaluated for performance and the peeling efficiency ranged between 71.2 and 100 %. The peeling rate was 11.15 mms-1 during motorized operation and 3.45 mms-1 during manual operation. The peeling loss ranged from 3.67 to 14.29 % during motorized operation and from 3.91 to 16.96 % when the machine was operated manually. The machine can be developed for small scale food industries with minimal maintenance.

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