Harvested tamarind fruits contains 25-30 per cent hull (shell).

For consumption the hull has to be removed. At present tamarind hulling is done using manual labourers.

After harvesting, the tamarind fruits are dried under sun and the hulling is mainly done by woman labourers by beating the fruits with a stick.

This process is time consuming and unhygienic. The problem is compounded as there are no huller machines available for hulling process.

Specific purpose

The Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has developed a machine for this specific purpose.

The unit consists of feed hopper, beater assembly, sieve and outlets. The feed hopper is made of 20 gauge mild steel with a capacity of 2.5 kg.

The beater shaft is made of 25mm diameter and 1000mm long mild steel rod with 20 beaters. The shaft is mounted on ball bearing at both the ends.

A screw of 230 mm diameter is mounted on the shaft for a length of 600 mm. Power is transmitted by 1 hp single phase electric motor through a V belt and pulley.

The entire unit was mounted on m.s.angle 12x5 mm stand. Feed rate can be varied using an adjustable gate provided at the entry point of the huller........Read More

Source: The Hindu