Development of Pomelo Waxing Machine

Abstract

A prototype of fruit waxing machine was developed. The waxing machine consisted of wax-spraying chamber (120 cm wide, 150 cm long, with 4 spraying nozzles and 10 rotating brushes to thinnen wax on fruit surface and move waxed fruits ahead) and heat chamber (120 cm wide, 200 cm long, heat was generated out of 2, 1000-watt infra-red bulbs). Testing results indicated that the machine could well wax Thong-Dee pomeloes at the feed rate of 4 tons/hr. Heat chamber helped drying wax on pomelo surface, which shortened the packing line of packing house. Heat from the heat chamber when pomelo was fed at the belt speed 68 cm/min did not affect pomelo quality, comparing with those which were the control. Wind from electric fan was applied to help dry up the wax on fruit surface. Waxing on the dry surface pomeloes required shorter time than that on the wet ones. At 45^oC of heat chamber and 68 cm/min of belt speed, it required 55 seconds to blow air to additionally dry the waxed pomeloes’ surface.