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The study developed a compact, single unit of fish feed mixing and pelleting machine. In this work, a compact fish feed mixing and pelleting machine was designed, fabricated, and evaluated for its performance efficiency. The basic units of the machine are the processing unit, structural support, and the prime mover. The major component of the feed substrates used were maize, fish meal, soya bean cake, blood, and bone meal in their varied proportions blended with wet cassava starch to establish the machine performance and efficiency. The results showed that the varied proportions of starch inclusion in the blended substrate have influence on the investigated machine performance parameters. The performance outputs from the machine revealed the highest pelleting efficiency of 80.36%, pellet durability of 98.74%, throughput capacity of 4.16 kg/h, and the least labour requirement of 0.23 man-hour per kg at a starch inclusion of 0.125 kg, while the highest pellet bulk density of 0.302 g/cm3 was recorded at 0.20 and 0.125 kg starch addition. Machine economic analysis revealed that it can be of benefit for small- to medium-scale fish feed farmers.

Locust beans dehulling machine was design, develop, and evaluated. The machine was evaluated at different speed and boiling time for its performance efficiency. The results showed that with increase in the boiling time from the first to second hr the throughput capacity, qualitative, and quantitative dehulling efficiency increased but from the second to the fourth hr of boiling, it decreased. Whereas as the dehulling speed increase the throughput capacity increased but the quantitative and qualitative dehulling efficiency decreased. Highest throughput capacity and the least labor requirement were recorded at 1 hr boiling, whereas highest quantitative and qualitative dehulling efficiency was recorded at 2 hr of boiling. The boiling time and dehulling speed significantly affects the throughput capacity, quantitative and qualitative dehulling efficiencies of the dehuller, but does not affect labor requirement. The economic analysis reveals that developed dehuller can be useful for small to medium scale locust bean processing industries. Practical applications: The developed dehuller is relevant in the dehulling of boiled locust bean seed. This would, therefore, combat the challenges surrounding locust bean processing especially with the rural women dwellers and commercial producers. The dehuller would, therefore, reduce the time consumption and drudgery associated with the processing of locust bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]