Republic of the Philippines

BICOL STATE COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Macapuno Grating Machine: An Innovative Support for SMEs

One of the potentially growing industries in the country is the macapuno production.

This industry has been growing since 1960’s but it still does not meet the domestic and

overseas demands. As of 2017, there is a market demand of about 4 million kg of

macapuno meat, however, only less than 3% of this is being met (Philippine Coconut

Authority, 2017). One of the factors that greatly affect this market is the rarity of macapuno

fruit. Macapuno is a mutated fruit obtained from coconut tree, which develops only in less

than 20% of a normal coconut bunch. It is mainly used for Filipino delicacies, and recent

studies showed that it can also be used for pharmaceutical and personal care products

(Rodriguez, 2009). Researchers found a way to mass produced the macapuno fruit through

embryo culture technology, wherein a macapuno embryo is being cultured to produce a

pure-bearing macapuno tree.

The growing market demand tends to challenge the supplying capacity of SMEs

(Small and Medium Enterprises). Despite the efforts from the Philippine Coconut Authority,

Department of Science & Technology and various researchers, the macapuno production is

still inadequate. Another adverse factor is the lack of technology involvement in the

production itself. Macapuno production of SMEs relies greatly on manual labor. They only

hire persons to physically grate and extract the macapuno meat from its shell which

requires a lot of effort and consistency. An average laborer can only extract an average of

20 kg of macapuno meat for a day using the conventional technique of grating which

becomes the limiting factor for the supplier.

To provide an alternative solution for production growth among SMEs in macapuno

industry, the researchers intend to design a machine that can hasten up the macapuno

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August 2015 Rev. 0 Page 1 of 3
 Republic of the Philippines
BICOL STATE COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
City of Naga
Telephone No. (054) 4720416 Loc. 145

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

prototype machine that grates macapuno faster and more efficient than the conventional

method. Moreover, the proponents planned to moderate the human strength and expertise

required for the conventional process. The realization of this research will essentially benefit

the SMEs venturing in macapuno industry in terms of increasing the production and

simplifying its processes.

The researchers will gather some of its data regarding the product through

cooperation with SMEs in Macapuno Industry and other concerned agencies. These data

are necessary for the goal setting of the project. The objectives of the study will be realised

through a prototype of the proposed machine. It consists of two major parts – a rotating

holder and a movable grater. The holder is a metallic clamp customized to hold the round-

shaped macapuno firmly, thus eliminating the need for grip from the user while grating. This

is coupled to a high torque AC motor with speed controller; managed by a pedal switch or

footswitch for more convenient switching. The macapuno fruit is cut in half to expose its

meat before placing it on the holder. Meanwhile, the movable grater positioned in front of

the holder and utilizes the conventional design of macapuno grater. It is attached to a metal

arm intended to have a horizontal and angular displacements to feed the grater into the

mouth of the macapuno fruit. Its horizontal displacements operate based on the concept of

forward and reverse movements of a screw. Hence, the arm has a square-thread and a

handwheel for easy turning of the arm. As a result, lesser effort from the user, compared to

the conventional method, is needed to perform the extraction of macapuno meat. The user

just need to clamp the fruit on the holder, switched on and control the motor through the

pedal switch, while his hands are on the handwheel for the feeding of the grater into the

fruit. Furthermore, the production output will increase significantly through the use of the

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August 2015 Rev. 0 Page 2 of 3
 Republic of the Philippines
BICOL STATE COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
City of Naga
Telephone No. (054) 4720416 Loc. 145

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

and also the consistency on the sizes of output is maintained due to the stability of its parts.

The closest machine similar with the proposed one is the coconut meat extractor, but the

latter produces grains rather than strips – which is the preference for macapuno delicacies.

Moreover, the coconut meat extractor requires a lot of strength in handling the fruit and

precautions due to the exposed rotating blades.

After the completion of the prototype, it will undergo several statistical tests to

substantiate that it realises its objectives. First is the functionality test which includes the

comparison of the duration of the processes in conventional method and with the use of the

machine; comparison of their production outputs; and comparison of the qualities, in terms

of the consistency on sizes and shapes of their outputs. In addition, there will be a durability

test that will assess the capacity of the machine in sustaining long term operations.

The projected completion of the study is five months which includes the design,

materials planning, fabrication of the prototype, testing, documentations and revisions.

However, this will be shortened or extended based on the availability of the materials and

fabricator. The prototype is estimated to cost at around P 60,000 inclusive of the materials,

testing, revisions and other services.

For further details, feel free to contact us any time at (054) 472-0416 Loc. 145 or email us

at reped@[Link]. Together, we can contribute to the technological advancement

in Small and Medium Enterprises. Thank You.

Proponent: Engr. Dominic P. Bolima

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