DEVELOPMENT OF A MOTORIZED CASSAVA PEELER FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES

Abstract

In Ghana a lot of products are produced from cassava roots, but processing of most cassava product requires peeling. Cassava peeling in Ghana is a major manual activity, which is time consuming and labour-intensive and hence requires mechanization. About 34% of freshly harvested cassava roots is lost along the food chain and faster processing is necessary to curb this situation. The development of an efficient equipment to help fast-track peeling of cassava root is key. A motorized cassava peeler with four different lining materials (concrete, metal, rubber and wood) was developed and tested with two local cassava varieties (Asi-Abayiwa and Dabon). The batch loading weight, peel removal efficiency, percent flesh loss and peeling capacity of the peeler was determined. The batch loading weight of the peeler was 6 kg, an average peel removal efficiency of 71.8%, average percent flesh loss of 28.83% and a peeling capacity range of 157 – 1439 kg/h for all lining materials. The test results show that the peeler can perform its intended purpose efficiently. Further studies should focus on cassava varieties that will be favourable for mechanical peeling.