Project Abstract

Abstract
The development and construction of a manual orange juice extractor have been explored in this research project to provide an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly solution for extracting fresh orange juice. The manual extractor was designed to be simple, easy to use, and affordable for small-scale production or household use. The main components of the extractor include a lever mechanism, a juicing chamber, a collection container, and a stable base. The lever mechanism was optimized to provide mechanical advantage for easy pressing of the oranges, while the juicing chamber was designed to efficiently extract the juice while filtering out seeds and pulp. The collection container was strategically placed to collect the freshly squeezed juice, ensuring minimal spillage and mess during the juicing process. The stable base was incorporated to provide a sturdy foundation for the extractor, preventing tipping or sliding during operation. The construction of the manual orange juice extractor involved the selection of food-grade materials that are safe for contact with citrus fruits and easy to clean. The lever mechanism was made of durable metal components to withstand the pressure of juicing, while the juicing chamber was constructed from transparent plastic to allow users to monitor the juicing process. The collection container was designed with a spout for easy pouring of the juice into a separate container. The assembly of the extractor was kept simple to enable users to easily disassemble and clean the components after use, ensuring hygiene and food safety. The manual orange juice extractor was tested for its juicing efficiency, durability, and user-friendliness. The results showed that the extractor was able to extract a high percentage of juice from the oranges while effectively separating out seeds and pulp. The durability of the extractor was confirmed through repeated use without any signs of wear or damage to the components. User feedback indicated that the extractor was easy to operate and clean, making it a convenient tool for extracting fresh orange juice at home or in small-scale production settings. Overall, the development and construction of the manual orange juice extractor provide a practical solution for individuals or small businesses looking to enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice without the need for electricity or expensive machinery.

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.