Application of Vertical Stainless-Steel Type of Steam Boiler for Home Industry of Tofu

Abstract

As a traditional food, tofu is a very popular food for Indonesian people. Tofu is a type of food that is produced from soybeans through a series of stages, one of which is the boiling stage. This stage plays a major role in determining the quality of the results. Although steam tofu technology has long been found with a number of advantages, tofu craftsmen generally still use the traditional method of boiling soybean porridge. This then makes the tofu produced has low quality. This study aims to introduce and observe the advantages of steam boiler technology in improving the boiling process of traditional soybean porridge. The research begins with the manufacture of a vertical fire pipe steam boiler made of stainless steel. The boiler is made with a diameter of 78 cm and a height of 120 cm. The steam boiler is designed with 7 fire pipes equipped with a chimney at the top. The steam boiler is designed and constructed in a laboratory, then applied to a small tofu processing industry with a capacity of 200 kg of dry soybeans per day. The activity of observing the performance of the steam boiler was carried out for several months. The results of the analysis show that: (1) the steam boiler has been functioning properly, (1) producing tofu with the boiler is more efficient, time saving, and cost-effective (less fuel), (2) quality of tofu produced with the boiler is better, especially when viewed from the aspect of taste.