A manually operated Jatropha fruit decorticator was designed,
constructed and tested. The results of the study show that moisture
content of the fruits and concave clearance between concave
sieve and rotating blades, significantly affected the
performance indicators. The decorticator works more efficiently
as the moisture content of the fruit decreases with an optimum
clearance between the concave and the blade. The decortications
efficiency of the machine decreases with increase in fruit moisture
content, while percentages of broken seed with dust decreased
with increase in moisture content. It was found that
the best set of conditions under which the decorticator can be
operated is at fruit moisture content of 7.97% d.b. with concave
clearance of 21 mm between the concave and the blade at which
the maximum whole seeds of 67.94% can be achieved and machine
efficiency of 90.96% can be obtained. The decorticator does
not require electricity for its operation, hence, the problem of
the frequent power outages that characterize in India has no effect
on it. Also, because of its cheap cost to manufacture from
locally-available materials, it is likely to satisfy a niche market
in India and other developing country. Its use would help subsistence
farmers to get onto the first rung of the wealth-creating
ladder.