Development and performance testing of mechanical (stirrer type) fruit washer.
Magar A. R., Hashmi S. I., Masood Ahmed
Author Affiliation: Department of Agriculture Farm and Machinery, Aditya College of Agricultural Engineering, Beed (MS), India.
Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry 10 : 2049-2056
Abstract : A prototype of mechanical fruit washer was developed and evaluated for its performance. The effect of three different rotor speeds (1466, 1476 and 1486 rpm) and types (A, B, C) with 20 cm (110 lit) depth of water on capacity and performance index was evaluated. Mango, Potato and Tomato fruits were used for evaluation of washers. The higher washing efficiency (98.09%) was observed for rotor C at 1486 rpm for tomato washing. Highest capacity (833.17 kg/hr) was found with 98.09% washing efficiency at 1486 rpm for rotor C in case of tomato washing. Performance index at maximum efficiency (98.09%) found was 3.90. The cost of manual to mechanical washing for mango, potato and tomato was 4.26:1, 5.89:1 and 7.58:1, respectively. The average cost of mechanical washing was Rs.24.80 per tonne. The cost machine was Rs.14,650/- including electric motor. The overall dimensions of machine were 1000×560×750 mm.