Design and Performance Evaluation of a Multi-Tuber Peeling Machine

Tuber peeling is an essential unit operation prior to further processing. In this research, a batch loading tuber-peeling machine, with a capacity of 10 kg/min, was designed, fabricated and tested for cocoyam, sweet potato, yam and cassava tubers. The machine was designed to operate at a speed range of 350–750 rpm and time range of 5–12 min based on the principle of surface scratching. The performance of the machine was determined with respect to the peeling efficiency, percent weight of peel and flesh loss. The results showed that the peeling efficiency increased with an increase in the shaft speed for all the tubers. Also, the flesh loss and percent weight of peel decreased with an increase in the shaft speed for cassava and cocoyam tubers but increased for sweet potato and yam tubers (p < 0.05). Effective peeling of the tubers was achieved for sweet potato and yam at all the shaft speeds and time ranges considered.