Project Abstract

Abstract
This research project aims to develop and construct a manual orange juice extractor for household use. The manual orange juice extractor will be designed to efficiently extract juice from oranges while being easy to use and clean. The project will involve the design and fabrication of a simple yet effective mechanism that can extract juice from oranges with minimal effort. The extractor will be made using food-grade materials to ensure the safety and hygiene of the extracted juice. Additionally, the design will focus on the ergonomic aspects to make the extractor user-friendly and convenient to operate. The development of a manual orange juice extractor is motivated by the increasing demand for healthy and natural beverages. Freshly squeezed orange juice is a popular choice for consumers looking to incorporate more vitamins and nutrients into their diet. By providing a manual extractor option, consumers can enjoy the benefits of fresh orange juice without the need for electricity or complex machinery. This makes the extractor an eco-friendly and sustainable choice for households looking to reduce their carbon footprint. The project will involve research into existing manual juicers to identify their strengths and weaknesses. By understanding the current market offerings, the design team can incorporate innovative features into the new extractor to make it stand out. The design process will involve creating detailed CAD models and prototypes to test the functionality and efficiency of the extractor. User feedback will be gathered to make necessary improvements before finalizing the design for production. The construction of the manual orange juice extractor will involve sourcing high-quality materials that are durable and food-safe. The assembly process will require precision and attention to detail to ensure that all components fit together seamlessly. The extractor will be designed to be disassembled for easy cleaning, with all parts being dishwasher safe for added convenience. Overall, the development and construction of a manual orange juice extractor present an exciting opportunity to provide consumers with a convenient and sustainable way to enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice at home. By focusing on simplicity, efficiency, and user-friendliness, the manual extractor aims to cater to the needs of health-conscious individuals seeking a hassle-free juicing experience.

Project Overview

 Introduction

Oranges are one of the most popular fruits for eating out hand and most important source of fresh juice having a distinctive flavour and high amount of vitamin A B and C (Aye et al., 2012).

The orange fruit is a specialized type of berry known to the botanists as hesperidia. It has a soft, pithy central axis surrounded by 10-15 segments containing pulp and juice. Enclosing the segments is a leathery segment which contains juice that is sugary; several organic acids (chiefly citric acid) many other components; which give it a distinctive flavour; and high amounts of vitamins A, B and C. (Aye et al., 2012).

Oranges grow on evergreen trees of the family Rutaceae. The trees grow to a height of about 30 feet (9m) and are symmetrical and upright. The fruit varies in the number of seeds, from none to many. Orange is one of the major source of vitamins among other fruits in the world and it is globally recognized (Wiseman, 2013). In Nigeria, orange is mostly found in the middle belt particularly in Benue state that is commonly known as food basket of the nation as its slogan.

A very large number of orange is harvested yearly in Benue state and exported to other part of the country where it is either consumed naturally or converted to juice in addition with other fruits (Wiseman, 2013).

Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical climates for their sweet fruit. The fruit can be eaten fresh, or processed for its juice or fragrant peel. As of 2012, sweet oranges accounted for approximately 70% of citrus production (Bailey and Robert, 1998).

The need to meet household demand for freshly made fruit juice is of paramount interest to all those who desire to take juice at its natural state without adding any preservative to it.

Orange is one of the most important fruits and source of vitamin desired to be consumed in its natural and fresh nature that allow the consumers to benefit from it. Medically, orange serves as a catalyst to facilitate digestion and also as a means of reducing constipation in adolescents (Christopher, 2015).

1.2       Statement of problem

Manual orange juice extraction using hands have low capacities and low efficiencies, sometimes un-hygienic, and can hardly meet demand for large quantities of juice. Extraction of orange juice using electrically powered juicers has the limitations of irregular supply of power and sometimes most electrically power juicers are expensive to buy and may require regular maintenance.

In order to optimize the volume of juice extracted using a manually with manual extractor, there is need to develop  an orange juice extractor using stainless steel to obtain juice from oranges with little effort and meet home demand for hygienic and fresh orange juice.

1.3       Aim and objectives

1.3.1   AIM: The aim of this project is to develop a manually operated juice extractor that will extract juice from the orange fruit using stainless steel and encourage hygienic fresh orange juice consumption.

1.3.2       Objectives:

                          a.         To develop a manually operated juice extractor

                        b.         To construct the juice extractor

                          c.         To evaluate the constructed juice extractor

1.4           Justification

Development and construction of manually operated orange juice extractor will in many ways discourage the consumption of juice containing artificial preservatives which might be harmful due to long term consumption. The constructed juice extractor will require no special skill to operate it, should be affordable, portable and attractive using stainless materials.

1.5       Scope and limitation

This project work is limited to the development and construction of a manual orange juice extractor using stainless steel.