DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A MULTY-CROP (MAIZE AND SORGHUM) SHELLING MACHINE

• B. Adeoye

  Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

  Author

• A. Alao

  Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

  Author

The processing of agricultural raw material into quality products did not only prolongs the useful life of these products but also increases the net profit farmers make from such products. The paper presents detailed comprehensive design, construction, and evaluation of a low cost multi-crop sheller that can be easily transported and electrically powered. The performance evaluation was carried out using maize and sorghum at moisture content of 12% and 13% respectively. The shaft shelling speed of the sheller was 750_rpm.Results showed that the shelling efficiency, the shelling rate, the fraction of damaged grains, fraction of unshelled grains for maize and sorghum are 93.7%, 32.53kg/hr, 10.3%,3% and 88.13% 29.30kg/hr,9.6% and 4.6% respectively. The machine effectively shelled the grains(sorghum and maize).The use of electricity, rather than fossil fuel to power the machine will ensured reduction in products contamination that may result from fuel powered sheller.

1. B. Adeoye, Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

   Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

2. A. Alao, Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

   Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,Nigeria

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