A research on determining the cleaning and classification possibilities for tigernut ( Cyprus Esculentus L. )

Tigernut has become a plant of interest in our country due to its properties and potential to be used as raw material in many sectors. However, due to the lack of harvest and post-harvest mechanization chain, it is difficult and costly to produce and turn into finished products. For this reason, it is a product that cannot be evaluated sufficiently because its production has not become widespread. The primary purpose of post-harvest cleaning and classification processes is to turn the product into finished product with the least loss. Starting from this point, this study tried to determine a process chain for cleaning and classifying tigernut and the methods that can be used in this chain. The cleaning process was carried out using still and flowing water after rough cleaning. In the classification process, efficiency was determined by using a rotating drum with oblong holes. The results obtained were evaluated statistically. Physico-mechanical properties of tigernut were taken into consideration during the cleaning and classification processes. In the experiments, the cleaning time was determined as 2 minutes. It has been determined that washing is more efficient in flowing water than in stagnant water. Cleaning efficiency in flowing water was found to be 93.05%. The highest efficiency of the classification machine was calculated as 66.53% on average at a rotation speed of 15 rpm.