Development of Conveyor Belt Fish Grilling Machine for Dried Fish Organs Curry Production

Abstract

     The purpose of this research was to design and build a prototype of a conveyor belt grill system that worked semi-automatically. The optimum factors for grilled saba meat were tested: 1) the linear speed of the fish conveyor belt (measured in meters per minute) at three levels: 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30 meters per minute (representing the duration of the grilling process of 27, 20, and 16 minutes, respectively), and 2) the distance between the gas burner and the belt at three levels: 14, 20, and 26 cm. The test results included 1) the working capacity (measured in bodies per hour), 2) the body temperature (°C) of the fish after grilling, 3) the moisture content of the fish after grilling (measured as a percentage of wet base), and 4) the appearance of the fish skin after grilling. These results were to be used in the process of preparing raw materials for the production of roasted fish curry in a jar. From the tests, it was found that the suitable factors for the machine were a distance of 20 centimeters between the gas burner and the belt and a linear speed of the fish belt conveyor at 0.25 meters per minute. At these settings, the machine had a capacity of grilling 371 fish per hour (representing a grilling duration of 20 minutes per round) or equivalent to 92.83 kg per hour. The characteristics of the mackerel that could be obtained were as follows: Saba was cooked at a temperature of 82.38±0.85 °C and had a moisture percentage of 33.49±3.85 on a wet base. These characteristics catered to the needs of entrepreneurs. By utilizing one worker, the machine could efficiently grill raw materials, helping to reduce costs and add value to products. Considering the machine price of 1,000,000 baht, there was a break-even point of 4 years.