Palm Fruit Processing Research Articles

Risk Analysis of Conveyor Material Handling in the Production Process of Crude Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil with FMECA and FTA Methods

Oil palm is one type of plantation crop that occupies an important position in the agricultural sector and the plantation sector, and is a mainstay commodity of Indonesia whose development is very rapid. Good Material Handling is minimizing material handling costs, minimizing disruption or risk and delays in the production process. One of the companies engaged in the palm oil industry is PT. BSI which is a company engaged in the palm fruit processing industry. The products produced are crude palm oil (CPO), kernel, and fiber which implement a material handling system. However, the material handling process that is applied still experiences disturbances whose risks have an impact on the production process. So that researchers want to know the value of material handling risks that occur at PT.BSI with FMECA and FTA methods. The results of this study are at the risk identification stage using the FMECA method obtained six lists of risks that have an RPN value above 200 this is included in the very high and Unacceptable category. Then after further analysis using the FMECA method also that the six risks have decreased where the RPN value is less than 180 so that it is included in the high and tolerable categories. Then for the FTA analysis that the problem of these risks, namely conveyor trips and conveyor blockages, needs to be checked on a regularly scheduled conveyor leaf and implement a routine maintenance schedule and provide training to operators before carrying out work.

Selected Physical, Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Fresh Fruit Bunches for Processing of Palm Oil

Data on engineering properties of palm fruits enable the design of machinery for optimal production of palm oil. Specific physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics of fresh fruit bunches are examined in this study. Fresh palm fruit's selected mechanical, chemical, and physical characteristics were determined using standard formulas and equations. One hundred fresh fruit bunch samples were used to ascertain the physical characteristics of the fruit bunches. While the chemical properties were ascertained using suggested standard equations and formulae, the fresh fruit bunches were tested for their strength properties under compression when loaded under an INSTRON Universal Testing Machine. Using the Microsoft Excel program, statistical analysis was performed on the collected data. The average length, breadth, thickness, geometric mean, sphericity, surface area, true mass, true volume and true density mean for palm fruits were 3.35±0.48 cm, 1.92±0.32 cm, 2.24±0.33 cm, 2.42±0.25 cm, 0.73±0.08 cm, 18.61±3.62 cm2, 7.99±1.81 g, 7.01±1.72 cm3, 1.17±0.24 g/cm3 respectively. The average static coefficient of frictions for palm fruits were 0.46±0.13, 0.64±0.18, 0.57±0.21 and 0.59±0.22 while the average angle of reposes was 24.48±6.08, 31.62±9.14, 29.26±6.80, and 29.91±9.11 on wood, mild steel, glass and stainless-steel surface respectively. The energy at break, force at break, deformation at break, strain at break, and stress at break for the palm fruits were 6.87±0.95 J, 2.22±0.80 kN, 14.58±3.02 mm, 0.36±0.08 mm/mm and 123.46±44.31 MPa respectively. The moisture, ash, fat, crude fibre, crude protein, and carbohydrate contents (proximate composition) of the palm fruits were 22.80±0.02%, 0.52±0.01%, 46.47±0.06%, 18.66±0.01%, 2.4±0.21%, and 9.14±0.30% respectively. The sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and zinc contents of the palm fruits were 58.75±0.07 ppm, 94.20±0.14 ppm, 68.45±0.64 ppm, 5.21±0.00 ppm, 1.22±0.00 ppm, 1.60±0.00 ppm and 55.70±0.28 ppm respectively. This study has provided relevant information which will help engineers to develop a more efficient palm fruit extraction machines that will in turn increase the productivity and profitability of the farmers and food processors. These measured engineering properties of palm fruits help in development of palm fruit processing machines.

Analisis Kinerja Pengolahan Biogas di PT. Mitra Puding Mas Kecamatan Putri Hijau Kabupaten Bengkulu Utara Provinsi Bengkulu

PT. Mitra Puding Mas is one of the oil palm fruit processing factories in Bengkulu Province. POME palm oil mill effluent is the largest waste generated from the palm oil production process. The largest components contained in biogas are CH4 (50 % – 75 %) and CO2 (24% - 45 %) as well as several percent, nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide. The purpose of this study was to determine the composition of biogas CH4, O2, CO2 and H2S as well as the factors that affect the performance of biogas processing production at PT Mitra Puding Mas. Processing performance was obtained by using secondary data collection methods and literature study, while the factors influencing performance were obtained through interviews and observations. The results of the analysis of the performance of the biogas processing process, CH4 (53.6%), CO2 (36.18%), O2 (1.14%) and H2S (1.92 ppm) were categorized according to the standard composition of biogas liquid waste from palm oil. Factors that affect the performance of biogas processing are categorized very well, in the human aspect, namely the employees are skilled and expert in biogas management, in the raw material aspect, namely the use of palm oil or POME liquid waste as biogas raw material, in the method aspect, namely work instructions according to the SOP before and during the production process; on the machine aspect that is always checked regularly or periodically to avoid damage.

WET SEPARATION OF PALM KERNEL AND SHELL MIXTURE USING LATERITE AND ANTHILL SLURRY.

Palm kernel, one of the end products of oil palm fruits processing is recovered by cracking of the palm nuts which is first dried to aid efficient kernel recovery. The possibility of separating oil palm kernel and shell mixture using media other than kaolin in wet separation was investigated in this study. The separation efficiency of laterite was compared with that of anthill. The effect of media type, pH, specific gravity, slurry viscosity on the efficiency of separation were investigated. The media/water percentages of 0, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80% w/v were prepared in bowls for each media at a time and used to separate the cracked nut (palm kernel and shell mixture). The soil particle size distribution showed that laterite contains 40.3% clay while anthill contains 20.3%. The laterite and anthill slurry shows that the specific gravity and the viscosity increases with increase in media percentage while the pH decreases. Optimum kernel recovery percentages (%Kr) of 99.3 and 99.6% was observed at 30 and 35% ratio respectively for laterite and %Kr of 98.9 and 98.4% at 45 and 50% ratio for the anthill slurry. Among the media used, laterite was found to be comparable to clay at a medium-to-water percentages of 30 and 35% giving optimum efficiency. Thus, it is recommended laterite can be used for wet separation when compared to anthill.

Microalgae as A Bioremediation Agent for Palm Oil Mill Effluent: Production of Biomass and High Added Value Compounds

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is high strength wastewater obtained from palm fruit processing, which contains high chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and other contaminants. The pollutant load in POME can serve as a source of nutrients for microalgae growth. As a result, the goal of this work was to utilize Spirulina sp. and Nannochloropsis oculata to reduce the nutritional content of POME while producing biomass rich in high-value chemicals. The cultivation was conducted in a batch reactor using various POME fractions (0-20%) under 5,000 lux light intensity and continuous aeration at a temperature of 22-28°C and a salinity of 30 ppt for 14 consecutive-days. The results demonstrate that Spirulina sp. produced the most biomass at 15% POME, accounting for 4.67±0.95 g/L with 0.57±0.11 1/day of growth rate and 3.33% of COD reduction efficiency. Meanwhile, Nannochloropsis oculata thrived in 20% POME, producing 4.43±0.36 g/L biomass, 1.18±0.31 1/day growth rate, and 14.43% COD reduction efficiency. In the proximate analysis. Spirulina sp. and Nannochlorpsis oculata provided 0.87%; 1.11% lipid and 1.03%; 0.86% protein, respectively.

Intensity of palm fruit processing technology-use among palm fruits’ processors in onicha local government area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study analyzed intensity of technology-use among palm fruits’ processors in Onicha Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the intensity of technologies-use in oil palm processing in the area; ascertained the determinants of method of processing used by oil palm fruit processors and examined the constraints to oil palm fruits processing in the study area. Purposive sampling procedure was employed to select 58 respondents for the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis (frequency, percentage, mean) and logit analysis. Logit analysis indicated that marital status (–6.754), cost of labor (–0.002), level of education (2.303) and annual income (0.342) were the variables that determined technology-use, while variables such as credit access and quantity of oil palm fruit were not significant. The constraints encountered in technology-use were ranked as follows high cost of palm fruits (95%), inadequate processing equipment (91.37%), difficulty in obtaining credit (86.21%), high cost of palm fruits transportation (84.48%), and inadequacy in the supply of palm fruits (76.31%). It is recommended that palm fruit processors should form a co-operative society thereby procure more equipment for sustainable palm fruits’ processing.

Analysis of Credit access and utilization among oil Palm Fruits processors in Abak Agricultural Zone, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study estimated the determinants of credit access and utilization by oil palm fruit processors in Abak Agricultural Zone, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Data was collected using questionnaire from 140 palm oil processors that were randomly selected through a multi-stage procedure and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Heckman’s two stage selection model. Findings revealed that of a total sum of N 11,256,500 accessed as credit by oil palm processors N 7, 156, 500 (63.6%) and N 4,100,000 (36.4%) were accessed from informal and formal sources respectively. Also, of the total amount of N 11,256,500 that was accessed, N 4, 165,000 (37%) was ploughed back into oil palm processing, N 6,120,354 (54.4%) was used to solve domestic problems such as hospital bills, school fees, burial, marriage etc. while 971,146, (8.6%) was invested in other ventures outsides oil palm fruit processing. Result of the determinants of credit access showed that while household size (p>0.05) and government payment (p>0.1) negatively and significantly reduced credit access, educational level of respondents (p>0.05), processing equipment ownership (p>0.01) and membership of cooperative (p>0.05) were positive and significantly influence credit access. Findings further revealed that while primary occupation (p>0.05), processing equipment ownership (p>0.05) and government payment (p>0.1) impacted positively on the amount of credit invested in oil processing, household size (p>0.01) had a significant negative influence on amount of credit and income invested in oil palm processing. Hence policies that will boost formal credit access, ensure proper monitoring of loan beneficiaries by supervisors, sensitize respondents on the need to embrace family planning as well as granting tax exemptions and giving subsidies in the form of basic production inputs are recommended among others.

ROLES OF WOMEN IN OIL PALM FRUIT PROCESSING IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

The study assessed roles of women in the processing of oil palm fruit in Imo State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described socio-economic characteristics of women palm fruit processors; identified processing methods and equipment used by them to process oil palm fruits; identified their roles in oil palm fruit processing; determined socio-economic factors that influence amount of income realized from palm fruit processing; and identified constraints faced by them in oil palm fruit processing. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 150 women processors. Data collected through use of structured questionnaire, were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression model. Results showed that mean age, household size and annual income from palm fruit processing of the respondents were 54 years, 7 persons and N127,985.71 respectively. Also, 64.0%, of them were married, with as much as 82.0% attaining diverse levels of formal education. Result also showed that 74.0% of the women used mortar and pestle in processing oil palm fruits. Results further showed that 80.0% and 68.0% of the women processors were involved in picking palm fruits from the bunch/threshing and carrying of palm fruit to processing site. Result of the multiple regression analysis using double-log functional form as lead equation posted R2 value of 0.710 and showed that education level, method of processing, membership of association, credit access, labour cost and price of product were significant determinants of income realized by women from palm fruit processing. Major problems constraining women processors were inadequate finance (82.0%) and credit facilities (72.0%). It was recommended that financial assistance should be given to women processors of palm fruit through loans from agricultural banks and other financial institutions. This should be done at low interest rates to encourage borrowing, which would lead to increase in income of women processors.

Gross margin of smallholder palm fruit processors with non-allocable inputs in Assin north and south districts in Ghana

Gross margin, as a measure of profitability has been associated with an enterprise and for a single product. The determinants of the gross margin have also been investigated using multiple regression. Whilst attempts have been made to model joint production, this has not been the case for gross margin for joint production. Further, multiple regression analysis is inadequate in modelling the gross margins of joint production. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by estimating gross margin for a joint product, decomposed the gross margin into the respective joint products and investigated the drivers (and constraints) of the joint product gross margins by use of multivariate multiple regression. Using data on smallholder palm fruit processing in Ghana, collected using a pretested questionnaire, we have shown that, attention must not be on the gross margin of the major product alone, in a joint production environment. Gender (being female), number of years of formal education, experience in palm oil processing and credit explained the joint product gross margin. Government, NGOs and other development partners should encourage females to stay longer in the formal school system and enhance credit opportunities to smallholder palm oil processors. The gross margin of the complete set of the joint product must be considered. We showed that failure to account for the minor product would underestimate the gross margin. The outcome is useful for computing profit margins in a joint production environment. Also, it assists the manager in identifying what factors to tweak to increase the profit margin for the joint product. • Gender and credit of palm-oil processers explained the joint-product gross margin. • Years of formal education and experience explained the joint product gross margin. • These determinants can be used to increase the profit margin for the joint product. • The gross margin of the complete set of the joint product must be considered. • Accurate gross margin can be estimated by accounting for the minor product.

Adsorption of Biogenic Amines from Synthetic and Real Wastewater using a Zwitterion‐Functionalized Blast Furnace Slag

AbstractBlast furnace slag functionalized with sulfamic acid (zwitterion) shows an extraordinary potential for the removal of biogenic amines from spiked water and real wastewater samples. The functionalized slag is characterized using scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and acid site density test. Its performance toward the removal of selected biogenic amines (putrescine, tyramine, and 2‐phenylethylamine) is evaluated at different experimental conditions that include pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration. The central composite experimental design is employed in investigating the effect of these individual factors and their interactions. The adsorption experiment results fit both the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model based on the computed high coefficient of determination (R2) values. Maximum adsorption capacity values of 80.64 mg g−1 for 2‐phenylethylamine, 12.5 mg g−1 for putrescine, and 64.52 mg g−1 for tyramine are estimated from the Langmuir isotherm model. Hydrogen bonding interaction between the S═O groups of the functionalized slag and protonated amino groups of biogenic amines is speculated as the possible mechanism of adsorption. The prepared functionalized slag also exhibits good adsorptive removal of biogenic amines in a date palm fruit processing industrial wastewater sample.

YOUTHS’ INVOLVEMENT IN OIL PALM (ELAEIS GUINEENSIS) FRUIT PROCESSING ACTIVITIES

This study assessed the youths’ involvement in oil palm fruit processing activities in Ondo State, Nigeria. It described the socio-economic characteristics of youths involved in oil palm fruit processing activities, determined their level of involvement, examined their perception and identified constraints associated with their involvement. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 respondents from the study area. Interview schedule was employed to collect relevant data, which was analysed with SPSS software package. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data while inferential statistics were used to draw inference on hypothesis. The results show that majority (63.3%) were male, 95.8% had formal education with a mean age of 27.2 ± 2.7 years. Picking of fresh fruit bunches ( = 2.71), packaging ( = 2.60) and gathering of bunches ( = 2.50) were the major activities youth involved in. Higher percentage (57.9%) of the youth had favourable perception towards involvement in oil palm fruit processing activities. Lack of modern processing facilities ( =3.65) and funds/inadequate credit facilities ( = 3.65) were the prime constraints to their involvement. Number of labour (r = 0.7460; p≤0.01) and income (r = 0.601; p≤0.01) of the respondents were significantly related to youth involvement. The study concluded that youth had moderate involvement in oil palm processing activities. However, agricultural development stakeholders like government should provide adequate and functional credits facilities to these youths to encourage their involvement.

Determination Of Priority Criteria Which Influences CPO Factory Productivity

One of the factor in a company’s competitiveness is productivity, and each company expects to have high productivity. However, the reality on the ground of performance is not necessarily in line with company expectations. The purpose of determining priority criteria using the Analytical Network Process method is to rank the known CPO mill productivity criteria. Based on the calculation results, there are three perspectives on the perspective of identifying factors of productivity in palm oil processing factories, namely: the quality of oil palm fruit, palm fruit processing machines and labour skills. Then for the ranking of sub-criteria, the highest priority productivity criteria for palm oil processing factories with the ANP method are the quality criteria for FFB, followed by the criteria of labour skills, and the criteria for processing machinery. The Mature Fruit Quality sub-criteria based on ANP method calculation are the most dominant, followed by the Working Hours, Work Experience, Transportation, Harvest Technology, Machine Hours, Fruit Origin, Types of Technology Used, and Education / Training.

Comparative analysis of the profitability of small and medium scale cassava and palm fruit processing in Abia State, Nigeria

This study was designed to comparatively examine the profitability of small and medium scale cassava and palm fruit processing in Abia State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 50 cassava and 50 palm fruit processors to give total respondents of 100. Simple descriptive statistics such as means and percentages, cost and returns analysis and Z-test were adopted in analyzing the data. The socioeconomiccharacteristics of the processors showed that middle aged persons between 25 and 54 accounted for majority (70% and 60%) of the respondents for cassava and palm fruit processors respectively. Also majority (60% and 64%) of the respondents were female. The majority of the respondents (60% and 54%) of the cassava and palm fruit processors had at least secondary education implying that the processing business was dominated by literates/elites. Cassava processors gained monthly net returns of N308,000 as against N 227,000 realized by palm fruit processors, indicating that cassava processing is more profitable than palm fruit processing. In view of its contribution to this paper, the following are recommended: a re-establishment of active processing firms which are income-spinning ventures; on the macro-level, government should discourage the exportation of competing products which has a multiplier effect on the operations of the firms and as such protect them from harsh competitions capable of weakening their profit performances.
 Key words: This study was designed to comparatively examine the profitability of small and medium scale

AKTIVITAS ANTIOKSIDAN DAN FLAVONOID EKSTRAK BIJI KURMA

Date seeds are waste from palm fruit processing that has not been utilized optimally. Date seeds contain flavonoids which are known to act as antioxidants. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity and flavonoid of methanol extract which was carried out by soxhletation and its fractionation results. Date seeds are made into simplicia, soxhlet extraction with methanol, then the methanol extract is fractionated in stages by liquid-liquid partition with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. Each fraction and extract was determined by its antioxidant activity with the DPPH method and its flavonoid was determined by spectrophotometry. Ethyl acetate fraction has the strongest antioxidant activity with the lowest IC50 value, that is equal to 5.74 ± 0.05μg/mL, followed by methanol extract of 9.55±0.53 μg/mL, n-butanol fraction 19.73±0,58 μg/mL, and n-hexane fraction of 289.59±10.52 μg/mL, while the IC50 value for vitamin C as a positive control was 4.29±0.74 μg/mL. The highest flavonoids were produced from ethyl acetate fractions which amounted to 1484.33 ± 161.47 mg Quercetin Equivalent (QE) / 100 g, followed respectively by methanol extract of 282.84±13.72 mg QE/100 g.

English

As the independent Benin's first export crop, oil palm continues to play an important role in the Beninese economy and society despite the decline in its production that has begun since the 1970s. It is present in most cropping systems throughout southern Benin. The objective of this article is, on the one hand, to assess the level of technical efficiency of oil palm fruit processing units in South-East Benin and, on the other hand, to analyze the determinants of this technical efficiency. The so-called "two-step" method was used, which consists of using a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model for the analysis of technical efficiency scores followed by a Tobit regression model to analyze the determinants of technical efficiency. The data used were collected in 2018 within the Adja-Ouèrè municipality. The results obtained show that the average technical efficiency score of the processing units is 0.891, which means that it is still possible to improve the production. The analysis of the determinants of technical efficiency showed that variables such as membership to an agricultural producer organization and the number of direct relatives involved in the processing activity improve the technical efficiency of oil palm fruit processing units. Key words: Oil palm fruit processing, the so-called "two-step" method, data envelopment analysis, Tobit model, Benin.  

Analysis of Non-adoption and Discontinuance of Improved Oil Palm Fruit Processing Technology in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria

The study analyzed non-adoption and discontinuance of improved oil palm fruit processing technology in Kogi State, North central Nigeria. Using purposive multi-stage sampling technique, a sample of 240 oil palm fruit processors was taken from three agricultural zones of the study area to represent the population. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data for the study. Organization and description of data were realized by the use of frequency distribution table, percentage, ranking and mean. The findings indicated that significant proportion (60.4%) of the respondents were female with a mean age of 43 years and an average household size of 8 persons. Seventy-three percent of the respondents were married, while 82.5% had formal education. The oil palm processors had 16 years of processing experience; 62.5% of the respondents had less than 5 extension contacts annually. Majority (63.8%) and 2.5% of the respondents did not adopt and discontinue use of the improved oil palm fruit processing technology respectively. Out of 153 respondents that did not adopt the technology, 68.6% and 67.3% gave their non-adoption reasons as high cost of machine and low level of extension visits respectively. Also, 100.0% of the respondents that discontinued the use of the technology gave high cost of machine as their reason, while 92.8% and 78.6% felt they had low level of extension visits and poor quality of oil produced using the machine respectively. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the improved oil palm fruit processing machine should be made affordable to processors by ways of both governmental and manufacturers subsidy policies to encourage prospective adoption of the technologies among others. Keywords : Non-adoption, Discontinuance, Improved, Oil Palm Fruit, Processing, Technology. DOI : 10.7176/JBAH/9-18-01 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Mechanical properties of oil palm waste lightweight aggregate concrete with fly ash as fine aggregate replacement

Environmental degradation posed by fly ash (FA) disposal from coal power plants and shell from the oil palm fruit processing trade is non-trivial. The destruction of flora and fauna resulting from the extraction of river sand and granite aggregate from the green hills in an uncontrolled fashion for the production of concrete that is widely used in the construction industry does also require a solution. Introducing oil palm shell (OPS) and fly ash as a mixing ingredient in zero granite lightweight aggregate concrete production is an appealing notion. Success in utilising the available solid waste would reduce dumping of these by-products and consumption of natural aggregates, thus ensuring the preservation of the environment for the future generation. Therefore, this research explores the influence of FA content as sand replacement towards the mechanical and durability properties of agro-based lightweight concrete. Five concrete mixes with FA quantity ranging from 0% to 40% were prepared. Two forms of curing procedure were practised viz. water and indoor air curing. All the mixes were tested for fresh and hardened characteristic as well as sulphate resistance. The test results demonstrated that a substitution of 10% sand with FA yielded better mechanical properties and denser concrete with more resistant to sulphate attack in comparison to the control mix. The utilisation of two industrial waste materials such as FA and OPS may address the issue of paucity of natural resources that is experienced in the construction industry, particularly in the case of natural granite and river sand.

Marketing cost and value chain analysis of oil palm fruit processing in Imo State, Nigeria

Evaluation of marketing cost and value addition to oil palm fruit processing and marketing in Imo State was carried out. Agricultural produce marketing channels are superfluous with intermediaries who have been opined to add no value. The study assessed the cost and return, established the net profit and values added along the marketing channel of oil palm fruit. Stratified, random and purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting 108 individual processors, 6 processing firms and 108 marketers. Three sets of questionnaire were administered, one to each set of respondents to generate data. Means, percentages, cost and return and regression analyses were employed in analyzing data. Results show a profitable business, simple marketing channels, value addition to product line by intermediaries, net profit of ₦39.90 for processors, and ₦81.80 for firms per 1000 FFB; wholesale and retail marketers made ₦39.20 and ₦41.50 per 1000 litres of oil respectively. Socio-economic characteristics had significant effect on net income of respondents, with gender, marital status, education and experience contributing significantly at 1% probability. The study recommended joint effort of private and public stakeholders, to provide improved facilities and policies, that will enhance oil palm fruit processing and marketing to reduce cost and increase net income.Keywords: Processing, value chain, intermediaries, utility value and change of ownership

User-producer interactions: Policy implications for developing appropriate innovations for small-scale agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa

The dearth of technological progress in small-scale agricultural activities in sub-Saharan Africa has been majorly attributed to inappropriate innovations. This study employs the user-producer approach to recommend mechanisms to ensure the development of appropriate innovations for the sector. An analytical framework consisting of five types of policy actions which could foster the development appropriate innovations was developed from the approach to execute a qualitative analysis on a series of successful and failed attempts to mechanize small-scale oil palm fruit processing in Nigeria. The study revealed that initial technologies introduced failed because they were made to process other raw materials, were beyond the financial capability of processors and culturally incompatible. More successful innovations were found to be those developed in conjunction with processors. Recommended mechanisms include mandating and supporting research institutions to determine the needs of smallholders before R&D activities commence; funding the adoption and debugging of adopted technologies to further align technologies with smallholder needs; encouraging linkages among research institutions to enhance capabilities for problem solving; and increasing the number and types of research institutions in the sector to reduce the imposition of innovations.

Performance characterization and optimization of a synchronized medium‐scale oil palm fruit processing mill

AbstractPrevious studies revealed that sterilization, digestion, and mechanical oil extraction have not been fully mechanized in Nigeria. A synchronized medium‐scale oil palm fruits processing mill consisting of a boiler, sterilizer, inclined screw conveyor, digester and screw‐press was developed. Prominent cultivars of Dura and Tenera fruitlets of 20, 30, and 50 years of age were selected for the evaluation of this mill. In this study, the performance evaluation of the unit operations of this mill was characterized. Surface response methodology was employed using STATISTICA Release 7 model: STA862D175437Q to optimize the mill throughput, efficiency and oil yield. The result showed that, the performance efficiency and throughput of boiler, sterilizer, inclined screw conveyor, vertical digester and twin‐cam screw‐press were 71.3% and 55.0 L/h, 70% and 75.4 kg/h, 72.7% and 70.2 kg/h, 85.4% and 152.4 kg/h, 83.0% and 190.0 kg/h, respectively. The synchronized medium‐scale oil palm processing mill had the optimum throughput, efficiency and oil yield of 80.35 kg/h, 84.70% and 29.28%, respectively.Practical applicationsAbout 90% of annual palm oil production in Nigeria is still being processed with traditional and small‐scale methods across twenty four oil palm producing states. Over 40 million of rural women and small‐scale oil palm processors were grossly burdensome with lack of appropriate indigenous technology. It has been reported that about 140 of indigenous fabricators were involved in producing machines for small‐scale processors both in Nigeria and Ghana including palm oil research institutes, without developing a synchronized mill that can enhance productivity, timeliness and oil yield (Elekwachi, Fadare, & Owolarafe, ; PIND, ).The unit operations of small‐scale mills were usually separately installed without instrumentation devices to regulate their processing parameters for optimum oil yield. In this synchronized medium‐scale oil palm fruits processing mill, fresh oil palm fruits were fully sterilized using the superheated steam generated from biomass fire‐tube vertical boiler which was synchronized with sterilizer. The sterilized fruits were conveyed through inclined screw‐conveyor to the steam jacketed digester, which was connected to the twin‐cam screw press for the hot extraction processing operation. It is a continuous and full sterilization mill, which has increased oil yield tremendously from 17.8% to 29.3% for Tenera cultivar fruitlets. This study presented technical information in term of mill equipment efficiency and throughput; likewise, the type of cultivar and age of palm fruit that enhances overall optimum mill efficiency and oil yield.