A review of mechanical cassava peeling and its adoption by processors

Cassava has rapidly gained recognition as a very useful crop in Africa and other parts of the world, not just for its consumption domestically, but most importantly for its industrial use. Due to the rapid rate of deterioration, cassava needs to be processed almost immediately after harvest, and peeling is one of the first operations in cassava processing for human consumption. This has led to the development of several mechanical peeling equipment and processes. Therefore, the study reviews mechanical peeling of cassava and efforts at enhancing the adoption of the developed peelers. The review considered some cassava peeling equipment developed by researchers globally within the past decade. From the review, abrasive peeling is the most employed mechanism of peeling. The peelers were operated at peeling speeds in the range of 40 - 3000 rpm and had peeling efficiencies of 12.7 - 100 %, percentage flesh losses of 0 - 44 % and throughput capacities of 6.2 - 1440 kg/h. Generally, an increase in peeling drum speed resulted in a corresponding increase in throughput capacity in all the equipment. Additionally, peeling efficiency and percentage flesh loss in most of the peeling equipment also increased with an increase in peeling drum speed. Unsatisfactory performance and lack of understanding of the operation of the mechanical peeler were identified as possible hindrances to its adoption by processors. Further research is recommended to enhance the adoption and diffusion of mechanical peelers since it has the potential to boost cassava production and enhance industrial cassava processing.