1Lecturer, Department of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, P.M.B. 0248, Bauchi, 740001, Nigeria, Email: olaosebikanakangbe@yahoo.com
2Professor, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Nigeria
3Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
4Associate Professor, Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering Programme, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria
Online published on 18 May, 2015.
A centrifugal sunflower seed huller was developed. Its performance on two promising varieties of sunflower seeds grown in Nigeria was evaluated at varying levels of speed and product feed rate. The tests were run at 5% seed moisture content, dry basis. Both hulling efficiency and kernel breakage were observed to increase with increasing speed and reducing product feed rate, for the two crop varieties. Cleaning efficiency increased with increasing operational speed. Varietal difference had significant effect on kernel breakage. Hulling efficiencies for the two varieties studied were, however, at par.
Sunflower, huller, efficiency, speed, feed rate, variety
