In this contribution, the design, construction and test performance of a mechanical device for depulping and cleaning partially fermented fruits of Trecullo africana Decne (African breadfruit) is presented. The machine, similar to a batch agitator is powered by a 1.5 kW electric motor which is linked to a set of paddles located centrally in a cylinder incorporating a feed hopper. The paddle speed was varied between 240 and 137 rev/min for three samples of the fruit, which were allowed to ferment for between 3 and 9 days. It was found that the depulping efficiency (defined as the percentage of undamaged seeds per batch) improved at lower speeds and shorter fermentation periods. The recommended shaft speed is found to be 137 rev/min. At this speed, the average depulping rate was 23.2 kg of breadfruit per hour while the average water consumption rate was 6.4 litres per kilogramme.
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