By U.S. News Agency / Asian

Four engineers from the research department of the Bicol University (BU) extension campus here have invented a portable machine capable as a multi-purpose post-harvest implement designed to multiply the value of farm produce for higher earnings of the farmers.

The invention is a washer-peeler, juice extractor, crystallizer and a mill rolled into one to be called the multicrop processing machine that also works well as a component of a processing system for the mechanical production of arrowroot starch and flour.

When customized into a washer-peeler, the machine peels outer skin or cleans and removes undesirable debris of ginger rhizome, sweet potato, potato, arrowroot, radish, carrot and other rootcrops.

As a juice extractor, it extracts juice from ginger, lemon grass, pandan leaves, arrowroot, herbal plants, vegetable leaves among other crops while as a crystallizer, it cooks ginger juice to produce powdered ginger tea.

As a micromill on the other hand, the machine dries and grinds product meal of various crops into finer materials suitable for food processing or as flour.

According to Engr. Arnulfo Malinis, leader of the research team that developed the machine the ginger brew, ginger powder, arrowroot starch and flour it produces are of high quality but half cheaper compared to commercially available products of their kinds in the market. He said the crops should be fresh upon processing to obtain the best results.

It can process ginger rhizomes at a rate of 80 kilogram (kg) per hour, pandan leaves at 20 kg per hour, lemongrass leaves at 25 kg per hour and arrowroot tubers at 80 kg per hour. It is powered by a one-horsepower motor and can be attended to by only one operator.

Malinis said the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (AMTEC-UPLB) had recently completed the standards for fabricating and testing of the machine for commercialization.

Funded by the Technology Innovation for Commercialization Program of the Department of Science Technology (DOST) and coordinated by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), the project developed and tested standards for four multicrop machines.

The standards have been endorsed to the Bureau of Products and Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Agricultural Engineering Professional Regulation Commission for adoption as National Standards.

The policy would require DA-attached agencies to be guided by the standards in their procurement of machines. Machine manufacturers from the private sector, on the other hand, can use the standards in design and fabrication works.

Malinis said that there are now around 15 units of the crop processing machine sold in Bicol region and nearby provinces. BU has partnered with a local fabricator for the manufacture of the machine that costs P95,000 per unit.

All of those who already have the machine are using it in processing ginger powder which had wide demand in the local market for the preparation of salabat or ginger tea, a refreshing and healthful beverage that is famous not only in the Philippines but more abroad, Malinis said.

Generally, he said the tea is prepared by boiling peeled and sliced ginger that offers spicy and stimulating flavor. “With this multi-purpose machine, it can now be more enjoyed as an instant drink using ginger powder,” he said.

Ginger tea is usually used to prevent colds and to aid digestion, and also as a home remedy for nausea and sore throats. It also has a remedial effect on diarrhea and stomachache due to low body temperature. It is purported to aid blood circulation.

It’s this very fiery characteristic of the ginger root that gives it much of its medicinal properties, both in its dried as well as raw form. The dried ginger root is a thermogenic, expectorant, laxative, appetizer, stimulant, as well as an effective cure for stomach disorders.

Hence, the dried ginger root is ground and used to cure a whole range of ailments like coughs, vomiting, diarrhea, inflammations of the joints, flatulence, motion sickness, colic, cholera, asthma, headaches, and even anorexia. Raw ginger is also a thermogenic and is also an anti-flatulent, digestive, appetizer and a laxative.

Ginger is also used extensively in aromatherapy. An essential oil is extracted from steam distilling the unpeeled, dried and ground ginger root. Ginger oil is used by combining it with the oils of cedar wood, sandalwood, and patchouli, which renders a spicy and woody scent to the mix.

The active ingredients in ginger oil are oleoresin and terpenes, which are responsible for its lymph cleansing, antiseptic, mild constipation relief, and circulation-stimulating qualities. Researchers have shown that ginger reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the liver and blood, thereby lowering blood cholesterol.

It has also been found that ginger blocks the effects of prostaglandin, which is a substance that is responsible for the inflammation of the blood vessels inside the brain, which is what causes migraine.

Ginger’s property of being a digestive aid is largely due to the shogoals and gingerols that it contains. These help to neutralize the acids in the stomach, stimulate the secretion of digestive juices and tone the digestive tract muscles.

According to Chinese culture, its powerful yang energy is what warms the lungs and stomach. Ginger tea has been used in China for 2,500 years to treat sore throat, nasal congestion and sinus pain.

Malinis explained that the development of the machine helps address the need for appropriate agricultural postharvest processing facility in the countryside to enable farmers to raise the value to their crops and sell it at higher prices.

In recognition of its significance as a new technology towards agricultural development, the machine was awarded as one of the Most Outstanding Invention in the 2009 National Invention Contest being initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The awarding was held at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City last month.

Apart from Malinis, the other members of the research team that developed the equipment were Engrs. Eleanor Balute, Estrella Calpe and Herminigildo Lizano. (Article by Danny O. Calleja, PNA)