Post by Trade Forum on Aug 29, 2022 6:26:07 GMT 1
Development And Local Fabrication Of Locust Bean (Iru) Processing Machine In Nigeria
A brief visit to the traditional method of processing locust beans in Nigeria.
For a very long time in the past, processing of the commodity has been done manually by our fore parents. But now, the majority of producers of the condiment use either semi or full mechanical methods to process locust beans.
In this article, we are going to look at the modern method of processing the commodity so that those who want to enter into the business will be rest assured that production will be modern and easy.
Once you get the Iyere seeds from the market or your farm, it will take you an average of three days to process it into Iru.
How to dehull locust beans?
Locust bean seed has a very hard, water-impermeable testa (the protective outer covering of a seed, which is the seed coat) and therefore prolonged cooking is necessary during processing to soften the seed coat prior to dehulling.
Pre-soaking the seeds for about 12 hours and cooking for at least 30 minutes in a pressure cooker is sufficient to soften the seed, but removal of the seed coat is more difficult.
The equipment needed to carry out the modern processing of Iru:
A locust bean steaming machine, dehulling and separating machines are the principal equipment you need to process the commodity.
It is important to understand that this equipment must be designed by simulating the traditional processing operations. Whatever type of machine you are constructing will need to consist of a pressure cooking pot (as the cooking device), the dehulling unit equipped with paddles (made of aluminum material) and also a separation machine.
The equipment can be tested for efficiency by processing seeds at cooking times of 30, 45, 60 and 90 min. During an experiment, it was discovered that there was increase in dehulling efficiency with increase in cooking time from 30 to 60 minutes while it dropped at 90 min. The highest dehulling efficiency of 82% was obtained at cooking time of 60 min. The separation efficiency obtained at this optimal cooking time was 79%.
The traditional method of processing locust beans is usually a reference point from which mechanical devices are made. As we are aware, the processing of locust beans is mainly done locally by women in Africa. Processing of locust beans involves shelling of matured pods, boiling, dehulling, separation of the hull from the beans and fermentation into various forms of condiments. Women are the key players in locust bean processing.
Traditional Boiling is carried out for cooking the beans with the hull for 8 to 10 hours using firewood as fuel; this initial stage of processing makes the process time consuming with the seeds usually degraded. Locust bean is dehulled by mashing the boiled seeds with bare feet near the riverside or using pestle in a mortar. If a mortar is used some clean sand may be added to ease the removal of the hull. The process of ridding the edible seeds from the hull in locust bean processing is implied as separation. The separation process is carried out locally using the principle of buoyancy or by using a screen, most often a perforated calabash referred to by the Yorubas as ‘Ajere’. The dehulled beans are sorted out by washing in water. Proximity to water supply is required and for this reason the process is carried out in a stream.
The application of various, evolving technological methods have resulted in modern methods of processing the African locust bean. Boiling units such as steamers and pressurized vessels are employed in order to enhance good dehulling characteristics and high quality of the final product.
The use of gas and charcoal as fuel has also been embraced since this provides clean operation and sustained heat input during boiling. In lieu of the impact loading and rubbing action against the wall of the mortar carried out traditionally on boiled seeds, dehullers are used to achieve the same end with rubbing action (force) against the wall of the dehulling chamber.
Separation of the hulls from the edible seeds has constituted a challenge due to the sticky nature of the seeds with the testa. Hydrocyclone separation has been used in separating locust bean from the hull but only very low efficiency was recorded and therefore has not been adopted.
Steaming and dehulling are still being handled by separate devices and this induces a lot of handling and hence longer processing time is recorded. There is no information in literature on the combination of the key unit operations viz: boiling, dehulling and separation.
The guiding principles:
The dehulling process is not feasible until appropriate boiling and separation processes are incorporated into the design. The boiling process is aimed at creating good dehulling characteristics which is achieved by the weakening of the bond between the testa and the cotyledons. This, when carried out using a pressure pot is ready for dehulling in 30–50 min between the temperature range of 121 °C and 151 °C .
It was also discovered that when the bean is allowed to cool for 5 min after boiling, it poses a dual advantage of both increasing the dehulling characteristics of the dehulling surface and upon condensation, the water that migrated into the seed during the boiling process settles between the cotyledon and the testa thereby weakening the bond. Therefore the use of a pressure-cooking system should be chosen for the boiling process.
The dehulling process seeks to impact the seeds with a sheer force for separation to occur. Dry dehulling is carried out in some areas but this, though done with the mortar and pestle gives an impact, also seeks to provide the major required sheer force. The impact force is ensured not to exceed the compressive force on the seed otherwise; it may lead to crushing of the seeds to be dehulled.
Can you buy the equipment locally in Nigeria?
Yes. You can get in touch with the admin of this forum if you are interested in buying the machine.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
For a very long time in the past, processing of the commodity has been done manually by our fore parents. But now, the majority of producers of the condiment use either semi or full mechanical methods to process locust beans.
In this article, we are going to look at the modern method of processing the commodity so that those who want to enter into the business will be rest assured that production will be modern and easy.
Once you get the Iyere seeds from the market or your farm, it will take you an average of three days to process it into Iru.
How to dehull locust beans?
Locust bean seed has a very hard, water-impermeable testa (the protective outer covering of a seed, which is the seed coat) and therefore prolonged cooking is necessary during processing to soften the seed coat prior to dehulling.
Pre-soaking the seeds for about 12 hours and cooking for at least 30 minutes in a pressure cooker is sufficient to soften the seed, but removal of the seed coat is more difficult.
The equipment needed to carry out the modern processing of Iru:
A locust bean steaming machine, dehulling and separating machines are the principal equipment you need to process the commodity.
It is important to understand that this equipment must be designed by simulating the traditional processing operations. Whatever type of machine you are constructing will need to consist of a pressure cooking pot (as the cooking device), the dehulling unit equipped with paddles (made of aluminum material) and also a separation machine.
The equipment can be tested for efficiency by processing seeds at cooking times of 30, 45, 60 and 90 min. During an experiment, it was discovered that there was increase in dehulling efficiency with increase in cooking time from 30 to 60 minutes while it dropped at 90 min. The highest dehulling efficiency of 82% was obtained at cooking time of 60 min. The separation efficiency obtained at this optimal cooking time was 79%.
The traditional method of processing locust beans is usually a reference point from which mechanical devices are made. As we are aware, the processing of locust beans is mainly done locally by women in Africa. Processing of locust beans involves shelling of matured pods, boiling, dehulling, separation of the hull from the beans and fermentation into various forms of condiments. Women are the key players in locust bean processing.
Traditional Boiling is carried out for cooking the beans with the hull for 8 to 10 hours using firewood as fuel; this initial stage of processing makes the process time consuming with the seeds usually degraded. Locust bean is dehulled by mashing the boiled seeds with bare feet near the riverside or using pestle in a mortar. If a mortar is used some clean sand may be added to ease the removal of the hull. The process of ridding the edible seeds from the hull in locust bean processing is implied as separation. The separation process is carried out locally using the principle of buoyancy or by using a screen, most often a perforated calabash referred to by the Yorubas as ‘Ajere’. The dehulled beans are sorted out by washing in water. Proximity to water supply is required and for this reason the process is carried out in a stream.
The application of various, evolving technological methods have resulted in modern methods of processing the African locust bean. Boiling units such as steamers and pressurized vessels are employed in order to enhance good dehulling characteristics and high quality of the final product.
The use of gas and charcoal as fuel has also been embraced since this provides clean operation and sustained heat input during boiling. In lieu of the impact loading and rubbing action against the wall of the mortar carried out traditionally on boiled seeds, dehullers are used to achieve the same end with rubbing action (force) against the wall of the dehulling chamber.
Separation of the hulls from the edible seeds has constituted a challenge due to the sticky nature of the seeds with the testa. Hydrocyclone separation has been used in separating locust bean from the hull but only very low efficiency was recorded and therefore has not been adopted.
Steaming and dehulling are still being handled by separate devices and this induces a lot of handling and hence longer processing time is recorded. There is no information in literature on the combination of the key unit operations viz: boiling, dehulling and separation.
The guiding principles:
The dehulling process is not feasible until appropriate boiling and separation processes are incorporated into the design. The boiling process is aimed at creating good dehulling characteristics which is achieved by the weakening of the bond between the testa and the cotyledons. This, when carried out using a pressure pot is ready for dehulling in 30–50 min between the temperature range of 121 °C and 151 °C .
It was also discovered that when the bean is allowed to cool for 5 min after boiling, it poses a dual advantage of both increasing the dehulling characteristics of the dehulling surface and upon condensation, the water that migrated into the seed during the boiling process settles between the cotyledon and the testa thereby weakening the bond. Therefore the use of a pressure-cooking system should be chosen for the boiling process.
The dehulling process seeks to impact the seeds with a sheer force for separation to occur. Dry dehulling is carried out in some areas but this, though done with the mortar and pestle gives an impact, also seeks to provide the major required sheer force. The impact force is ensured not to exceed the compressive force on the seed otherwise; it may lead to crushing of the seeds to be dehulled.
Can you buy the equipment locally in Nigeria?
Yes. You can get in touch with the admin of this forum if you are interested in buying the machine.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
