Hammer mill design with flat vertical parallel blades for Moringa flakes production.

ABSTRACT

Moringa oleifera, locally known as Malunggay, is abundant in the Philippines. It is widely used in the many industries commonly for food and pharmaceutical application. Moringa leaves are processed into flakes for use in the food industry, and then blended or added to various products. The availability of Moringa leaves in powder or flakes is currently a concern for local industry. Presently, a hammer mill is currently used to grind Moringa leaves. To improve the production of Moringa flakes, it is essential to introduce improvements in the current design. The researchers enhanced the design of a hammer mill grinder by incorporating flat vertical blades, which improved Moringa flakes production. It is found out that the production time of Moringa flakes was reduced to 0.3 and 4 times compared to conventional hammer mill and manual grinding, respectively, with a grinding efficiency of 61.33%.The particle size consistency of the flakes was calculated using Carr index and Hausner’s ratio. The average Carr index and Hausner’s ratio were found to be 19.33 and 1.24, respectively, indicating strong flakes flowability.

Keywords: Moringa Flakes, Hammer Mill, Flakes Production

Citation:

Atienza, A.H., Cruzado, R., Pontevedra Jr., A., Sawal, N.F. (2023). Hammer mill design with flat vertical parallel blades for Moringa flakes production. AIP Publishing, AIP Conf. Proc. 2482, 110004 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0113902