Optimization of Machine Parameters for the Peeling of a Commercial Abrasive Peeler for Mother Corm (Colocasia esculenta)

Aims: The purpose of this study was to optimize the machine parameters of a commercially available tuber peeler for the peeling of mother corms.

Study Design: CCRD (Central composite rotatable design) method of the response surface methodology (RSM) technique.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha (India), between June 2021 and December 2021.

Methodology: For maximum yield with minimum loss, the process was conducted with three different variables such as rotating disc speed (350, 450 and 550 rpm), peeling duration (60, 120 and 180 sec) and batch load (1, 1.5 and 2 kg) for responses such as peeling efficiency (ηp), material loss (ML) and peeling effectiveness (PE).

Results: The results showed that peeling performance was influenced by variations in disc speed, peeling duration, and batch load of the peeling process. Rotating disc speed of 455 rpm, peeling duration of 115 sec and 1.35 kg of batch load were found to be the optimum condition for taro corm peeling. The corresponding peeling efficiency, peeling effectiveness and material loss were 92.64 %, 84.87 % and 8.21% respectively.

Conclusion: This study showed that the method can be successfully utilized in the commercial processing of mother corms.