Abstract:
Onion is one of the important condiments which is highly demanded by Sri Lankan
to make their food delicious. Within the available varieties, red onion is very
popular in Sri Lanka. It is widely grown in the Northern part of Sri Lanka and has
good demand all around the country for its fine taste and aroma. In the onion
production chain, the bulb separation contributes a considerable amount as a
production cost. This study was aimed to rectify this issue by designing onion
topper with required features. The objectives of this study are to design and
fabricate onion topper, to improve the cutting and cleaning process of onion leaf
and root and to reduce the time of processing while increasing the product quality.
The materials were selected considering some factors like availability, applicability,
durability, strength and cost of the materials. Onion with root and stalk was fed in
to the machine and allowed to be processed during which the cleaning of onion by
removal of dust and debris carried out by incorporating rotation via compression
motor along with cutting off and removal of root and stalk of the onion, which were
inhaled under high air pressure with a motorized knife. Capacity of the machine,
power requirement and electricity cost were estimated. The onion topper
processed 30 kg of onion within an hour with the power consumption of 0.38 kWh
which accounts for 2.47 Sri Lankan rupees. Therefore, the cost of onion processing
and man power requirement can be reduced through this onion topper.
Consequently, the income of the farmers can be increased sufficiently. Further this
machine showed less noise effect (29.98 dB) and no greenhouse effect. This onion
topper can be sold in market for thirty-five thousand Sri Lankan rupees.
