Development and Performance Evaluation of Chapati Pressing Machine

Abstract

Simple, semi mechanical chapati pressing machine which is easy to operate, maintain and economical was fabricated. The developed machine was found to have a capacity of 45 chapatis per hour and the power requirement was 300 W. The machine worked efficiently at a flour water ratio of 10:6.6. At other compositions of dough water ratio, the machine did not provide efficient pressing, as it could not withstand the load. The stroke length was adjusted to 32.5 cm from the centre of the cam. The average thickness of the pressed chapati was about 0.8 mm and the average diameter was about 13.8 mm. The average time taken for chapati pressing is about 80s for a single chapati. The power requirement was found to be 300 W. The observed variation in thickness and diameter from chapati to chapati was of the order of ± 0.6 mm and ± 0.8 mm respectively. It was found that there was no significant difference in diameter and thickness of the chapatis made. The pressed chapatis indicated smooth and uniform surface characteristics. The cooked chapatis had good aroma and texture similar to that of manually prepared chapatis.