Abstract

The size reduction of food materials increases the efficiency of the processing operations by reducing processing time and energy requirements. By breaking down ingredients into smaller particles, the overall mixing, blending, and cooking processes become faster and more efficient. Mostly, this operation is carried out using an electrically powered attrition disc, an electric blender, or a hammer mill. The major challenges associated with these electricity-powered machines include a lack of power supply in rural communities and contamination of the product by the machine parts, since the machine parts are made of mild steel materials. An engine-driven grain size reduction machine was designed, constructed, and tested in order to solve these issues. To develop the machine, material selection, critical design analysis, and calculations were all carried out. Response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used for performance testing of the machine settings.