Design, Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Multipurpose Cassava Grater

Food security has been an issue of global concern and this has attracted a lot of research interest. Cassava is an extremely popular crop and is becoming the cornerstone for addressing food security in many parts of the world. The competing needs for cassava cuts across both human and animal consumption. It serves as a raw material in textile industry and is now one of the preferred materials for making biofuels. As the world’s population continues to grow, the demand for drought resistant crops such as cassava is increasing. The high demand for various forms of processed cassava will continue to increase cassava prices making it an attractive business venture. Several small-scale cassava farmers are making a fortune and additional income through this business. Preliminary investigations show that the profitable way for a farmer to market his cassava is to add value to it. Unfortunately, cassava undergoes post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD) after three days of harvest. In order to make cassava farming even more profitable, there is a need to process it within the shelf life of 2 - 3 days after harvesting. One way to preserve cassava is by grating it into pulp and drying it into pellets or chips. In this study, an electrically powered multi-purpose cassava grating machine with grater blades inclined at two different tooth angles, 25？ and 30？ was designed, fabricated and its performance characteristics investigated. The results showed that the plate with a tooth angle of 30？ resulted in higher grating efficiency. This was attributed to better grip on the cassava when perforations on the plate inclined at 30？. The grating capacity was also significantly improved as very small amounts of cassava slipped out un-grated.