A mechanized centrifugal melon shelling and cleaning machine with a capacity of
114kg/h was developed and tested at the fabrication workshop of Agricultural and Biosystems
Engineering, University of Ilorin. It comprised of the hopper, feed control mechanism, shelling
unit, cleaning unit, power transmission unit and the frame. The machine performance was
evaluated using a 2 × 3 × 5 factorial experimental design for shelling two varieties of melon
seeds, (eastern and northern) varieties .The factors in the factorial experiment were at three
levels each of shaft speed (1400 rpm, 2100 rpm and 2800 rpm), melon varieties (eastern and
northern) and the moisture content of the seed (7%, 12%, 17%, 22% and 27% wet basis). Each
treatment combination was performed in triplicates making a total of 90 values. The results
showed that the highest shelling efficiency for variety E was at 78.7% at a moisture level of 17%
and operating speed of 2100 rpm while the highest shelling efficiency for variety N was 76.5%
at a moisture content of 22% and operating speed of 2100 rpm. Also, the highest cleaning
efficiency for variety “E” was recorded as 66.4% at a moisture content of 17% and operating
speed of 2800 rpm while the highest cleaning efficiency for variety “N” was recorded as 64% at
a moisture content of 22% and operating speed of 2800 rpm. Therefore, melon shelling
machine based on this technology could provide quality melon seeds at low cost for domestic
use and for melon oil processing industry.
Keywords
: Melon, oil, efficiency, moisture, speed
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
Published by : Association of Agricultural Technology in Southeast Asia (AATSEA) Contributions welcome at : http://www.ijat-aatsea.com
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