Development of a Motorized Yam Pounder for Domestic Use.

Pounded yam is the most popular traditional yam food product in West Africa, especially Nigeria. Development of a motorized yam pounder is a step towards minimizing intensive human labor, usually involved in the process of preparing pounded yam, while still preserving nutrients and flavor. The machine that has been designed comprises a shaft, blades, 1 HP electric motor, pulley system, cooking and pounding chambers and support frame. The components were carefully selected, fabricated and assembled. Experimental runs were conducted to evaluate the performance of the machine by pounding some weighted quantities of cooked yam. The results showed that it took the machine an average of 34 minutes to cook 0.62 kg of yam and 40 seconds to produce hot and smooth textured pounded yam. The pounded yam produced by this machine is of better quality when compared with the traditional or manual method. It can thus be concluded that the machine performed efficiently and effectively, and minimized labor requirements, when compared with the manual method of preparing pounded yam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]