Physical and mechanical properties of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars: Implications for the design of mechanical peeling machines

Abstract

The data on physical and mechanical properties of short and long-duration cassava cultivars are limited to design an efficient continuous type peeling machine for smallscale processing. Short duration cultivars included Sree Jaya, Sree Vijaya, and Sree Swarna, as well as long duration cultivars included M-4, Sree Athulya, Sree Suvarna, H-226, Sree Raksha, Sree Pavithra, and Sree Vishakam, were investigated. The moisture content, girth, proximal diameter, middle diameter, cylindricity, and tuber surface taper angle were the highest for long-duration cultivar H-226. The maximum length was observed in the short-duration cultivar Sree Swarna. The periderm thickness was the highest for Sree Suvarna, whereas the highest proximal cortex thickness, middle cortex thickness, and distal cortex thickness were observed in Sree Athulya, Sree Vijaya, and M-4 cultivar, respectively. The highest bulk density, true density, and porosity were observed in the long-duration cultivars; Sree Raksha, Sree Athulya, and Sree Suvarna, respectively. The highest hardness, shear force, and rupture force were recorded for cassava peelings in the cultivar Sree Athulya. Similarly for cassava flesh, the highest hardness, shear force, and rupture forces were recorded in the Sree Suvarna cultivar. A strong positive correlation for true density with bulk density and proximal diameter and moisture content with cylindricity and middle-end diameter was found from the multivariate correlation analysis. Statistical analysis showed that the reported physical and mechanical properties of the cultivars were highly significant (p <.01). Practical ApplicationsEngineering properties such as physical and mechanical properties are important for designing machines, storage structures, and processes. Cassava tuber peeling by the manual method is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and has a low capacity. Thus, the

Varietal impact on women's labour, workload and related drudgery in processing root, tuber and banana crops: focus on cassava in sub‐Saharan Africa

“…Roots of the majority of existing cassava genotypes in Africa can only be peeled (with current technologies) by slashing it off the flesh of the root with a sharp knife or machete, increasing the losses enormously in addition to processor fatigue 68 . Some studies used a large number of cassava genotypes in Colombia, 69 Uganda 70 or India 71 for evaluating phelloderm and root cortex thickness: (0.79–5.14 mm in Colombia on 64 genotypes; 0.3–4.9 mm in East Africa on 825 genotypes; 0.2–0.5 mm in India on 10 genotypes, with cortex thickness at the proximal, middle, and distal varying from 1.2–3.1 mm). This large genetic variation in peel thickness is associated with the difficulty of peeling, which strongly affects peeling yields and productivity.…”

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)—A potential source of phytochemicals, food, and nutrition—An updated review

“…But these days, many units are having trouble getting access to freshwater, which is slowing down production in many enterprises. For crushing and sieving purposes during the extraction of tapioca starch, a lot of water is needed (Krishnakumar et al, 2021).…”

“…The generation of the discolored starch was hampered by the adhering mud particles in the tubers that resulted from insufficient washing. To make washing faster and more effective, mechanical washers can be employed (Krishnakumar et al, 2021).…”

“…In small and medium‐sized facilities, starch is settled and purified by settling in tanks. However, contemporary facilities occasionally use centrifugal separation (Krishnakumar et al, 2021).…”

Tests and analyses on physical and mechanical properties of fresh black fungus in picking season

“…Shengtao Jia studied the shape and extrusion characteristics of Garlic from Xinjiang, which provided a theoretical basis for garlic grading and precision seeder optimization [ 17 ]. Thulasimani Krishnakumar determined the physical and mechanical properties of short and long-duration cassava cultivars to a peeling machine [ 18 ]. These researches provide a data basis for the simulation experiments of harvesting and processing machinery and equipment, which made the mechanized equipment of crops more targeted, greatly accelerates the research and development speed of the machine, and improves the work quality and efficiency.…”