Design and Fabrication of an Adjustable Thickness Plantain Slicing Machine

Abstract

Plantains are vital food source in many tropical regions that is consumed in both ripe and unripe forms. The traditional manual slicing methods usually used are seen to be labour intensive, time consuming, and often resulted in inconsistent slice thickness. This method reduces product quality and productivity in small to medium scale processing operations. To address this, a plantain slicing machine was designed, fabricated, and evaluated to improve efficiency and ensure uniform slicing. The machine incorporates an adjustable blade mechanism, enabling users to vary slice thickness, and was constructed using locally available materials to ensure affordability and ease of maintenance. The machine features stainless steel blades and a mechanical feed system, making it suitable for both rural and urban use. Performance evaluation was conducted to assess slicing efficiency, machine capacity, and throughput rate. Our results showed a slicing efficiency of 66.67% for unripe plantains and 63.64% for ripe plantains. Although unripe plantains yielded slightly better slicing efficiency due to their firmness, the machine processed ripe plantains at a faster rate. The machine capacity was recorded at 0.026 kg/sec for unripe plantains and 0.040 kg/sec for ripe plantains. Correspondingly, the throughput rates were 0.217 and 0.362 for unripe and ripe plantains, respectively. These findings indicate that while softer, ripe plantains reduce slicing precision slightly, they allow for faster processing. Overall, the machine proves to be an effective and practical solution for enhancing post-harvest plantain processing. Its simple design, adjustable slicing capability, and use of accessible materials make it highly suitable for small-scale and local food industries.