Success Stories

CIPHET has so for developed about 35 processing equipment

Agro-Processing Machinery Database: A visual database of about 700 machines/ equipments of different post-harvest equipment and agro-processing  machines has been developed. Main categories are: Cleaning and Separation (60), Dryer (40), Extractors (3), Graders (55), Milling (55), Packaging (135), Storage (30), Processing machines (80) and Miscellaneous (75).

Automatic Blender cum Mixer: Automatic blender cum mixer was designed and its used to give enzymatic treatment of the mustard seed prior the mechanical expelling under controlled temperature. This enzyme breaks the lipoprotein and extracts 4% more oil.

Bleaching Materials for Edible Oil: An alternative cheaper bleaching material for edible oil refining is formed from agriculture waste and will be used for color removal during refining of oil. This material is very cheap and is a step for import substitution of existing bleaching material.

CIPHET Banana Hand Cutter: CIPHET banana hand cutter is useful to de-stem the hand from the banana bunch. It replaces the use of sickle, which was much labor and time consuming. It is safe for human and banana hands and can be used for faster work.

CIPHET EC Structure: CIPHET evaporatively cooled structure (ECS) was developed for storage of fruits and vegetables for reducing losses after harvest. It maintains a moderate low temperature and sufficiently high relative humidity for short-term storage of fresh fruits and vegetables. This system requires minimum level of consumption of electricity, less initial investment and negligible maintenance cost. CIPHET ECS can achieve 20oC lower temperature than outside and relative humidity as high as 70 – 99 % depending upon the outside temperature. An ECS of about 5 -7 tonne storage capacity may cost about Rs. 1.5 – 1.8 lakh. It can be constructed at any place in farm preferably below the tree for better cooling efficiency. Potato shelf life increased more than 55 days in mid summer (May-June), Tomato (5-7 days), Kinnow (about 35 days in February- March). Other commodities can also be stored with significant increase in shelf life.

Dehulling of Mustard Seed: A low energy process of dehulling the mustard seed was developed where the hulls are removed by floatation technique.

Evaporative Cooled Room for Storage of Fruits and Vegetables: A double walled, 3 m x 3m x 3m (inside) size structure filled with sand in between double walls, RBC roof and CC floor having two tonne capacity was designed and developed. Cost is Rs. 35,000/-

Fruit Grader: It grades all spherical commodities (sphericity above 0.8) in 5 to 8 grades, has a capacity of 1.0 to 1.2 t/h, requires 1.0 hp electric motor, 3-4 persons to operate and costs around Rs. 45,000. It is commercially available.

Greenhouse/Poly Houses: For raising nursery, crop production and high value vegetables especially in winters and it can also be utilized for drying of fruits and vegetables during summer were developed in different shapes and sizes. UV stabilized LDPE films (200 micron) are used for its construction. Cost of greenhouse is about Rs. 500-600/m2 and low cost poly house is Rs. 75/m2.

Groundnut Pod Decorticator: Groundnut pod decorticator is 80% efficient and removes the shell of the groundnut and separate the kernel in three grades or per the size. Capacity of the machine is 80 kg per hour.

Groundnut Pod Grader: It works on the basis of size and weight of pod. The grader has the capacity of 0.65 t/h and requires 5.0 hp electric motor and 3-4 workers to operate. Out of twelve grades obtained, best should be used for edible purposes and rest for oil expelling. It costs around Rs. 1,00,000.

Kinnow Juice Debittering: Debettering of kinnow juice was done with cheaper adsorbent, the result obtained were within the limit in terms of flavenoid and limonoid content. During the treatment with this new cheaper adsorbent the free suspended solids in the juice could be reduced.

Lac Scrapping and Grading Machine:  The machine comes in two variants of 20 kg/h and 50 kg/h capacities. It is operated by 2 hp and 5 hp electric motor, requires two persons to operate and costs of machine is around Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

Low Cost Filter for Micro Irrigation System: Maximum flow rate is 3-7 m3/h and it can be operated at a pressure of 1 – 1.2 kg / cm2. Cost of filter is about Rs. 700/ filter. It can save 35 to 40 % of cost.

Maturity Determination on Tree: To know the proper maturity level of mango for proper harvesting and ripening a maturity index based on TSS was defined to measure the maturity objectively using the colour values. The model developed to predict maturity is simple and can be used on farm with the colorimeter by any orchard people. This nondestructive technique can be employed to sort the mango based on either maturity index or TSS (Sweetness) at export port, big mandies and in processing plant. It will also help in fixation of price of individual mango based on total soluble solids.

Mobile Agro Processing Centre: Mobile Agro Processing unit consist of grain cleaner (100-200 kg/h, 1 kW); horizontal burr mill (75-100 kg/h, 3.75 kW); Vertical Masala Mill (15-25 kg/h, 1.5 kW); Pop Corn Making Machine (4 kg/h, 1.5 kW); and Diesel Generator Set: 7.5 KVA, three phase. Cost of mobile unit is about Rs. 2 lakh.

Mobile Cool Chamber: A mobile cool chamber was developed for short duration storage and transportation of fish for retail marketing. The insulated box was designed so that it could hold 8 plastic crates of size 540x360x295 mm in two layer of four each for keeping fish. The total capacity of storage was 150 kg of fish with 80% filling of each plastic crates and 1:1 ratio of ice and fish. It costs around Rs. 18,000-20,000/- and can be used for fruits and vegetables also.

Oil seed pre Grinding: Pre-grinding of oil seed prior to mechanical oil expelling can save energy and time by 20%. Pre grinding of oilseed prior to mechanical oil expelling will help to eliminate the fourth pass.

Porous Bricks: Porous brick has very good properties over conventional bricks for EC chamber.

Strawberry harvesting cum Holding Tool: Hand operated strawberry harvester has a capacity of 15 kg/h/person and cost of each tool is Rs. 150/-.

Two Stage Evaporative Cooler: A portable two-stage evaporative cooler was developed for short duration storage of fruits and vegetables. The two stage evaporative cooler could drop the temperature up to the wet bulb temperature of air (18oC) and increase the relative humidity up to 90%. It costs around Rs. 8,000-12,000.

Technique for Enhancement of Shelf Life of Tomato: Shelf life of farm fresh hybrid tomatoes harvested at breaker stage could be enhanced by 16 days if stored in perforated high density polythene bags of 160 gauge with KMnO4 sachets as ethylene absorbent under temperature range of 20-35 0 C and relative humidity range of 30-90 %. Similarly, red stage tomatoes showed shelf life of 10 days as compared to 2 days in control.

CIPHET Tomato Grader: Tomato is graded on the basis of size into four grades i.e. 25-40 mm, 40-55 mm, 55-70 mm and > 70 mm. It works on the principle of gravity and has mobility from one field to another. It has a capacity of 325 kg/hr with overall grading efficiency of 66%.