Development and Performance Evaluation of a Cocoa Pod Breaking Machine

Abstract

Breaking of cocoa pods in order to release the beans presently constitutes a difficult task for Nigerian cocoa farmers. The traditional method of using wood and machete to break the pods is not only laborious and time consuming but also uneconomical. An electrically operated cocoa pod breaking machine has been designed, fabricated and tested. The machine which utilizes roller mechanisms was fabricated using locally sourced materials. Cocoa pods were categorized as big, medium and small based on their mid diameter sizes. The mid diameter size of the small category was most useful in determining the size of the breaking chamber. Pod breaking efficiency of over 95% was achieved during testing. Bean damage, a common feature of traditional methods and existing hand operated cocoa pod breaking machines was reduced to negligible proportions.