DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTION MACHINE

ABSTRACT
 
This research centers on the design, development and testing of a motorized juice extractor fabricated using locally-available materials. The machine is made essentially of two basic compartments: the chopping compartment and the juice extracting compartment. Other components include feeding hoppers, top cover, auger conveyor housed in a cylindrical barrel, juice sieve, juice collector, waste outlet, transmission belt, main frame, pulleys and bearings. In operation, fruits introduced into the chopping compartment via the first hopper are chopped/sliced and passed into the extracting compartment via a second hopper. The auger conveys, crushes, presses and squeezes the fruits to extract the juice. The juice extracted is filtered through the juice sieve into juice collector while the residual waste is discharged through waste outlet. When tested for freshly harvested pineapple, ginger and orange fruits, results show that the average juice yield for pineapple, orange and ginger were respectively 74 %, 72 % and 34 %; juice extraction efficiencies were respectively 84 %, 80 % and 71 %; and juice extraction losses were respectively 18 %, 16 % and 9 % at optimum machine speed of 335 rpm for pineapple and oranges, and 476 rpm for ginger. Powered by a 3hp electric motor, the machine has a capacity to process 30 litres/hr of oranges, 32 litres/hr of pineapples and 24 litres/hr of ginger and the machine costs of about N54,600, hence it is affordable for small-scale farmers.