Design, development, and evaluation of aloe vera leaf gel expulsion machine

Abstract

AbstractThe aloe vera gel expulsion machine consists of auto adjustable grip rollers, mouth piece or front edge cutter, scrapping blades, and a driving unit. The grip rollers were provided with inclined trapezoidal teeth to increase the friction between aloe vera leaf and rollers. The design parameters of the machine were the speed along with the dimensions of grip rollers, spring tension for mouth piece, and clearance of scrapping blades. The jagged edges were cut as the leaf passed through mouth piece and grip roller pushed it against scrapping blades which removed the upper and lower rind. The machine was tested for its performance at different roller speed and leaf thickness. It was inferred that for getting maximum crude gel recovery, minimum residual gel percentage, and highest expulsion efficiency, the leaves should be fed at 75 rpm roller speed for leaf thickness more than 20 mm.Practical applicationsAloe vera gel has been utilized for therapeutic properties including wound healing, constipation, thermal injury healing, ulcers, diabetes, anti‐inflammation, and immunomodulation. Nowadays it is used for commercial applications such as sun creams, soaps, shampoos, face wash, and lotions. It is also used for preparation of juices, yoghurt, flavored milk, health drinks, and beverages. In crushing method of gel expulsion the ingression of other chemical compounds deteriorates the gel quality. The machine was designed to avoid crushing and reduce manual contact for obtaining good quality gel from aloe vera leaves.