Effect of pre-processing conditions on oil point pressure of sheanut (Vitellaria paradoxa) kernel

Oil point pressure of sheanut kernel was determined under different pre-processing conditions of moisture content, heating temperature, heating time and particle size. Results show that the pressure decreased as moisture content increased from 4% to 6%, and thereafter, increased with further increase in moisture content. It equally decreased with increase in temperature and heating time. Highest oil point pressure value was 2.6389MPa for coarse kernel particles at 4% moisture content heated at 50oC for 5 min, and 1.5554MPa for fine particles at 10% moisture content heated at 50°C for 5 min. Lowest value for coarse and fine kernel particles was 0.929MPa and 0.6380MPa respectively and this was obtained at the conditions of 6% moisture content, 100oC and 15 min heating time. ANOVA showed that all the pre-processing variables and their interactions significantly affected the oil point pressure of at 1% level of significance. This was confirmed using Response Surface Methodology. Multiple regression analysis yielded equations that expressed oil point pressure as a function of kernel moisture content, heating temperature and heating time. The models yielded coefficients that enabled oil point pressure of the kernel to be predicted with high coefficient of determination

Effect of operational parameters on the performance of a kenaf harvester

Aim of study: To develop a kenaf harvesting technology, that will improve kenaf production efficiency. This study evaluated the effect of some operation parameters on the performance of a tractor-mounted kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) harvester. Area of study: The experiment was performed at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Material and methods: The experiment was initiated after 10 weeks of planting kenaf on the experimental field. The experimental design was a 3 × 4 × 5 experiment evaluating the effect of kenaf maturity (average stem diameter at week after planting (WAP) 10, 12, 14 and 16), kenaf varieties (‘Cuba 108’, ‘Ifeken 400’ and ‘Ifeken Di 400’) and forward speed of the tractor (2, 3.5, 5, 6.5 and 7.7 km/h) on effective field capacity, field efficiency, and operational loses of the machine. Main results: The effective field capacity of the machine decreased with increase in plant maturity and increased with increase in forward speed of the machine. The optimal value of the effective field capacity was 2.13 ha/day, when harvesting ‘Ifeken 400’, at crop maturity of 10 WAP, and forward speed was 5 km/h. The field efficiency of the machine was found to decrease with increase in crop maturity and forward speed of the machine. The field efficiency of the machine was 97%, with ‘Ifeken 400’ crop maturity of 10 WAP and forward speed of 2 km/h. Research highlights: The crop maturity, kenaf variety and forward speed of tractor have effect on the effective field capacity, field efficiency and the operational loss of the tractor-mounted kenaf harveste

Comparative evaluation of the digester-screw press and hand operated hydraulic press for oil palm fruit processing

Abstract In order to demonstrate the strength and possible weaknesses of the digester-screw press (DSP) system for small-scale oil palm fruit processing, a comparison was made of its performance and that of the erstwhile hand-operated hydraulic extraction system. Indices of evaluation include oil yield and quality, and operational economics. The results indicate that the throughput of the DSP system was four folds of that of the hydraulic system, whilst also operating at higher oil extraction efficiency (89.1%). There was no significant difference between the quality of the palm oil obtained from the two systems. However, the economic analysis of the systems indicates that at throughput of 0.75 t/h and above, the DSP system was more economical than the hydraulic system in terms of equipment, labour, material and floor space requirement and revenue accruing from the processing operation.