Description:A POST HARVEST PROCESSOR AND METHOD THEREOF FOR PROCESSING OF UNDERGROUND STEMS

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a Post harvest processor and method for processing of Underground Stems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The following background discussion includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

Rhizome spices (Turmeric, Ginger, etc) are processed in a tedious, cumbersome and time- consuming manner requiring 30 days of sun drying. The threat of uncertain climatic conditions/un-announced monsoons makes this process even more cumbersome for farmers. Post Harvest Losses in Rhizomes (Turmeric,Ginger & Onion) is Astounding 7.3% i.e. 1350 Thousand MT / 80 Billion Rupees. We all have seen the unannounced frequent rains in peak summers (Jan-June). This aggravates the situation for Turmeric Farmers, for whom after 9 months of preserving his crop in fields, harvests produce & in addition need to do the primary processing that requires 1 month of sun drying. Challenges during this period are several attempts of layering, collecting and covering their produce to shelter from rains. Turmeric requires two rounds of primary processing done by the Farmers before it is acceptable in the open market. During 30 Days Sun drying the boiled rhizomes are layered over large open areas usually unhygienic and cannot be collected during announced rainfall, thereby increasing the losses manifold and producing substandard products, lowering his income.
The Traditional (Primary) Processing of Rhizomes needs to be done by the Farmers i.e Turmeric/Ginger after Harvest needs to be boiled, sun dried and polished before its sold at a Mandi.
There are some challenges during this Primary Processing, as mentioned below:
• Losses Due to Uncontrolled External Environmental / Climate Conditions: Sun Drying Requires 30 days of Exposure of the Material in Open Air thus leading to Risk of Unannounced Rainfall, winds and non assured solar time.
• Troublesome Procedure : The current Traditional Processing Methodology is painful for the Farmers . He is dependent upon 2 vendors in form of 1. Boiler 2. Polisher who visit him at farm and after boiling he layers the produce in large areas for sun drying which is labour intensive because of several attempts of layering and collecting to preserve from contamination/spoilage on water contact during rain situation.
• The existing Traditional Process Involves Sun Drying (20-30 Days) that is Inconvenient and Non Standard leading to Quality Issues. Second Substitute Available are Solar Dryers, they also require 12-20 Days Sun Time and are also labour intensive.
Hence, there is a need of a technology which can overcome un-Seasonal Monsoon Losses faced during Sun drying & Improves Product Quality on parameters of Nutrition (Bio Active Elements Retention) & Brings Ease to Farmers. A Complete Fresh to Finish solution for Rhizome Processing and the end results being Quality Consumer Products with higher shelf life.

OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a Post harvest processor with improved processing Speed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a Post harvest processor which improves the quality of End Products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a Post harvest processor with a customised Reactor Vessel with Vacuum Evaporate which can enhance cell rupture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a Post harvest processor which can process Rhizomes like Turmeric and Ginger into Powder Products Faster and at same time the Quality of the Processed Products is preserved as better Bio Active Elements Retention and Better Shelf Life.

Summary of the Invention:

In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a post-harvest processor for Underground Stems, comprising:
a) atleast a Washer comprising a top “C” side open equipment with atleast 7 Roller Blades that has protruding brittle brushes affixed on a plastic cylinder wherein the Rhizomes as whole are put in the open “C” area and the rollers are made to rotate in clockwise directions with help of induction motor, said washer also comprises an overhead water sprinkler for sprinkling water on the open section;
b) atleast a cutter (Dicer) made of Leather Conveyor belt and an aligner that helps uniformly place the rhizomes on the belt wherein an induction motor moves the conveyor belt and the Stainless Steel Knife/ blade such that the Stainless Steel Knife moves up down motion with pulley attached to motor and the belt moves the rhizomes forward along with the knife in rapid action to cut the rhizomes;
characterised in that:
c) a Bio-Reactor Vessel, comprising Shell, Jacket, Insulation, Cladding and Agitator/Scrapper arms wherein the material is stored in the shell while the steam is passed in the Jacket for indirect heating; said reactor is further connected to the Vaccum setup which is further connected to the Condensor comprising Vertical Condensate Tank, Condensate Tank and Evaporate Condensate Tank wherein the cold water is circulated from the water tank in order to collect the condensate properly;
wherein said Bio-Reactor Vessel receives the cut rhizomes for further treatment by the addition of a chelating agent along with the simultaneous treatment of vacuum and steam in its exterior jacket which enables roasting the rhizome by turning clockwise;
Vacuum Evaporate chamber
d) Cabinet Air Dryer/s wherein the Rhizome Slices as feed are loaded onto perforated bottom trays & trolleys and inserted into the drying chamber for drying where the carrier (air) is drawn in through an inlet duct and recycle channel into the heating compartment such that the air is heated to the required temperature in this region, and then distributed from side-to-side (cross-flow) in a circular motion.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for post harvesting underground stems, by the processor as described above, comprising the steps of:
a) washing the raw material in the washer for removing the dirt and root hair by the bristle brushes, wherein the Rhizomes as whole are put in the open “C” area and the rollers are made to rotate in clockwise directions with help of induction motor, the raw material is also treated with overhead water sprinkling;
b) cutting the washed rhizomes by the cutter to uniform sizes of 10-15 mm to ensure proper cooking by the cutter (Dicer) wherein an induction motor moves the conveyor belt and the Stainless Steel Knife/ blade such that the Stainless Steel Knife causes up and down motion with pulley attached to motor and the belt moves the rhizomes forward along with the knife in rapid action to cut/ chop the rhizomes; said chopped rhizome from the dicer is dropped onto a conveyor belt that moves the material upto the top side input of the reactor vessel;
c) the cut rhizomes are then transported into a Bioreactor & vacuum evaporator system by a conveyor wherein the cut slices are put into the Bioreactor & vacuum evaporator system from the top side with the help of Conveyors followed by the addition of a chelating agent to rhizome slices followed by rotating the material for 10-15 minutes for uniform application;
characterised in that the cooking in the reactor is performed through the steps of:
d) creating the vacuum for approx. 5-10 minutes to have ideal vacuum condition, by sealing the inlet with screw clamps;
e) passing the steam into the Jacket of the bioreactor to maintain the internal temperature at 65 to 100 degrees celsius followed by cooking the rhizome slices in the reactor for 50 minutes with the scrapper being rotated clock and antilock wise every 5 minutes and thereafter the evaporate of Rhizome oil and condensate is collected in the evaporate collection tank followed by switching off the vacuum during the last 10 minutes of the treatment;
f) slowly opening the bottom side of the reactor and unloading the rhizome slices using a conveyor upto the dryer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING:
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, explain the disclosed principles. The reference numbers are used throughout the figures to describe the features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and regarding the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1. illustrates an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.
The present invention relates to a post-harvest process for Underground Stems like bulbs, corms, rhizomes, stolons, and tubers etc. which drastically reduces the processing time. The Invention also provides a processor for performing efficient post harvesting of the Underground Stems.
The Invention provides a Rapid Rhizome Processing Technology for Underground Stem like bulbs, corms, rhizomes, stolons, and tubers.
In an aspect of the Invention, there is provided an apparatus / system for post harvesting that helps arrive at the Dehydrated products within days against traditional methodology (requiring sun drying), 30 times faster.
In an embodiment, Bulbs comprises Onion, Garlic, etc.
In an embodiment, Corms comprises Arbi.
In an embodiment, Rhizomes comprises Turmeric, Ginger, Galagan (Kulanjan), Lotus (Kamal Kakdi), etc.
In an embodiment, Stolons comprises Taro (Kochur Loti)
In an embodiment, Tubers comprises Sweet Potato, Potato, Cassava, etc.
In an embodiment, the system comprises:
• Bioreactor Vessel
• Vacuum Evaporate System
• Cabinet Air Dryer
The Invention is based on Biotechnology Principles of Cell Disruption with Enzymatic Denaturation and Scientific Principles (Constant Cooking at Low Temperature) to attain faster dehydration with preserving the essential biological aspects of the raw material. The Invention employs a special chelating agent, Sodium Alginate that aids the cellular level activity as well as helps in retention of bioactive elements in turmeric.
The Invention may also be performed by using chelating agent having properties similar to the Sodium Alginate.

In an embodiment the post harvest process comprises following steps:

STEP 1: WASHING:
Raw material is placed in washer where the dirt and root hair are removed with the help of bristle brushes that are special designed made of plastic with high tensile strength that bears the weight of material and also scrubs.
The Washer is top “C” side open equipment with 7 Roller Blades that has protruding brittle brushes affixed on the plastic cylinder. The Rhizomes as whole are put in the open “C” area and the 7 rollers are made to rotate in clockwise directions with help of 3 HP induction motor. There is an overhead water sprinkler that drops water onto the open section. The process takes 20-30 minutes to clean the 120-150 Kg rhizomes. The dirt is thoroughly cleaned from the rhizome surface along with some root hairs and root skin removal.
STEP 2: CUTTING: The washed rhizomes are then cut to uniform sizes of 10-15 mm to ensure proper cooking.
The Cutter (Dicer) is made of Leather Conveyor belt and an aligner that helps uniformly place the rhizomes on the belt. 3 HP induction motor is used to move the conveyor belt and the Stainless Steel Knife/ blade. The Stainless Steel Knife makes up down motion with pulley attached to motor. The belt moves the rhizomes forward and the knife in rapid action dices the rhizomes. This procedure is continuous and takes 2 to 3 hours for cutting the 2 MT materials. The material from the dicer is dropped onto a conveyor belt that moves the material upto the top side input of the reactor vessel.
STEP 3:– BIOREACTOR & VACCUM EVAPORATE SYSTEM:
The cut rhizomes are then transported into a vessel with a conveyor, by the steps of:
1. Cut rhizomes are placed in the bioreactor
2. chelating agent is added to the rhizome slices
3. once the bioreactor is closed the vaccum is started
4. simultaneously steam is subjected in the exterior jacket to enable roasting
5. the rhizome cuts are turned clockwise in bioreactor
The Reactor is made of Stainless Steel Food Grade 304 Material. The Vessel contains of Shell, Jacket, Insulation and Cladding. The material is stored in the Shell and the steam is passed in the Jacket hence there is indirect heating. The Agitator/Scrapper arms are rotated by 7.5 HP Motor with Gear Box.
The Reactor is connected to the Vaccum setup and it is also connected to the Condensor (Vertical Condensate Tank and Condensate Tank) and Evaporate Condensate Tank. The cold water is circulated from the water tank in order for collecting the condensate properly.
The cut slices are put into the Reactor from the top side with the help of Conveyors. There is addition of the chelating agent to rhizome slices, the material is then rotated for 10-15 minutes for uniform application. After onboarding 2 MT material the inlet is sealed with screw clamps. The vacuum is started and the reactor takes 5-10 minutes to have ideal vacuum condition. The steam is then passed into the Jacket; there is a temperature meter on the top side of reactor to monitor internal temperature. The temperature is regulated at 60 degrees Celsius. The Rhizome slices are then cooked in the reactor for 50 minutes with the scrapper being rotated clock and antilock wise every 5 minutes.
The evaporate of Rhizome oil and condensate is collected from the procedure in the evaporate collection tank. The vacuum is then switched off during the last 10 minutes. There is a reduction of moisture during the reactor cooking procedure. The bottom side opening of the reactor is opened slowly, the rhizome slices are then unloaded using a conveyor upto the dryer.

STEP 4: DRYING in CABINET AIR DRYER: The Chips/Flakes Are Then Removed And Placed In Cabinet Dryer Where They Are Dried Until 10 % Moisture.

The Rhizome Slices/Cuts are removed from the bottom side of the Reactor the Agitators in the Reactor helps in ensuring all material is removed. The Rhizomes are hot after exiting Reactor and are transferred with the help of belt conveyor. The material is directed from the conveyor onto the trays where approximately 16 Kgs of the slices are placed and then distributed uniformly over the trays manually with the help of stainless steel rakes. 120 Trays are loaded into 04 Trolleys are then input in the cabinet dryer.

The Drying procedure requires 22-24 Hours depending upon the moisture content of the rhizomes.
In an embodiment, the drying Process is performed by the specific dryer that includes feeding, discharging and airflow patterns (Central Blower) with Vertical Vents. The Central Coils are heated by Steam. It comprises following steps:
• The Product from the Reactor Vessel i.e. Turmeric/Ginger Flakes with 65% Moisture Levels has to be dehydrated with 10 % Moisture Levels (shelf stable products) with Air Based Drying. Cabinet Air Dryer consists 120 Trays in 4 Trolleys.
• The temperature in the cabinet can be monitored 65 to 100 degrees Celsius, keeping the transfer temperature to products at 65-70 degrees Celsius. There were challenges of air flow and removal of condensate effectively.
Cabinet Dryer: In a cabinet dryer, the feed (Rhizome Slices) are loaded onto trays and trolleys and inserted into the drying chamber. The door is closed, sealing the system. The trays may have a perforated bottom. The carrier (air) is drawn in through an inlet duct and recycle channel into the heating compartment. The air is heated to the required temperature in this region, and then distributed from side-to-side (cross-flow) in a circular motion. The motive force for the air movement typically is a plug-type fan (central blower) that acts as both an induced / forced draft machine. The fan sucks the air through the heating chamber and blows it across the trays, which act as channels ducts to direct the air.

STEP 5 : Powder formation
Pulveriser is used to turn the chips into powder. To support the capacity of process output, we have installed a 20 HP motor capacity Impact Pulveriser a versatile grinding unit. The unit is especially designed for the medium fine, and fine size reduction with continuous operation of capacity 100 - 150 Kgs per Hour. The Pulverisers meet powder fineness of the finished product ranging from about 60 mesh to bulk passing through 325 mesh. Impact Pulverizers combines grinding, classifying and conveying all in one single unit.

In an embodiment, 1 Kilogram of Sodium Alginate is dissolved in 20 Litres of Water and applied uniformly over the rhizome cuts in the reactor, the rhizomes and the solution is then rotated several times in the reactor with the help of the agitator in order to ensure uniform application.
The system comprises customised Components of Bio-Reactor Vessel, Vacuum Evaporate Systems and Cabinet Air Dryers
The cooking in Reactor is under special circumstances, firstly it’s in a vacuum (Stress through pressure upon Rhizome Slices) environment and the slices of rhizome are roasted at 60 degrees (Stress through Temperature upon Rhizome Slices).

Designing the Large Scale Reactor was complicated as there were challenges for the uniform heating. Thus, various experiments were performed by changing the Gearbox, the chains for Rotating the Materials in the Reactor, positioning the Agitator Arms at the specified distance and angles to ensure 100 % material is cooked. Several trials were performed to attain the desired output of the cooked flakes. Likewise, several trials and design iterations were performed to arrive at the Cabinet Air Dryer. The experimentations included the Air Flow Experimentations, Coils and the Capacity Achievement, Top Side Blower Addition, Condensate Removal and Temperature Regulations within the Equipment.

This Invention allows to process Rhizomes like Turmeric and Ginger into Powder Products Faster (2 Days instead of Traditional 30 Days Sundried) and at same time the Quality of the Processed Products is preserved as better Bio Active Elements Retention and Better Shelf Life.

The Invention is described with the help of non-limiting examples:
Example 1:
Post Harvest Technology that Drastically Reduces the Time of Processing Rhizomes, Processing Fresh Rhizomes to Powder complete In-House Operations that helps farmers to dry rhizome crops and prepare the products for the market without having to depend on weather conditions by eliminating sun drying.
Special Engineered Bio-Reactor Vessel, Vacuum Evaporate Systems and Cabinet Air Dryers Assembly that Enables 100 % In House Processing of Rhizome in Shift of 24-48 Hours. A comparison is performed to evaluate the curcumin retention, obtained through the conventional process and the process of the present invention. It is found that more than 4% curcumin is retained through the process of the present invention while in the conventional process, only upto 2 % of curcumin is retained in the traditional processing methods.

The traditional rhizomes could be processed in about 20 days as Whole (Non Cut) and less than 10 days for Cut/Sliced/Diced rhizomes whereas the processing through the present invention, even with the moisture intensive Rhizome Slices, are Dried in maximum of 2 Days.
Analysis
Below are the several Laboratory (NABL Accredited) Analysis Counts of Curcumin Retention:
Year 2018
• Traditional: 1 - Curcumin Retention – 3.14 %

• Traditional: 2 - Curcumin Retention – 3.63%

• Rapid Rhizome Processing Technology: Curcumin Retention – 5.92%

• Rapid Rhizome Processing Technology: Curcumin Retention – 5.30 %

• Year 2020
Traditional: 1 - Curcumin Retention – 3.92 %

• Traditional 2 - Curcumin Retention – 3.95 %

• Rapid Rhizome Processing Technology: Curcumin Retention – 4.93 %

The Inventors performed various experiments to customise various technical parameters as mentioned below:
Example 2:
• Challenge 1 [Reactor]: The Turmeric Slices were getting burned on Contact with the Surface of Reactor
• Challenge 2 [Reactor]: The Slices on Exiting the Reactor were in the form of Slurry/Paste
Modifications (1&2): The Reactors Agitator Arm was shortened in Length and Rubberised Tip Scrappers were added
Observation: The Turmeric Slices now exiting the Reactor are now uniformly cooked and slurry issue resolved
• Challenge 3 [Reactor]: Material Handling Issues
3. A. Product Out /Exit Valve was Screw Type Material Rushes Out due to Gravity
Modifications 3: We modified the Product Out /Exit Valve to Screw and Clamp model to overcome the flow rate issue.
3. B. The Turmeric Slices Exiting the Reactor is hot and hence difficult to handle
Solution: The Wait time in the Reactor Increased to 2 Hours in order to cool the material
Observation: More efficient handling and unloading of material

• Challenge 4 [Reactor]: Scrapper / Agitator Arm of Reactor used to Jam Several Time
Modifications 4: The Belt Pulley set up with the initial design was inefficient to churn the 2 MT raw materials in the vessel. We upgraded the Gear Box and switched to Chain Pulley in order to make such large volume movement possible.
Observation: Lesser Breakdown in the Reactor Process and better processing of slices in Reactor

• Challenge 5 [Dryer]: The Turmeric Slices were not Drying Uniformly
Several Material Dried earlier than others with a gap of 4-6 Hours,
Solution 5: 1. Several rounds of manual sorting were done wearing heat resistant food grade gloves. This was a temporary solution and lead to significant downtime.
Solution 5: 2. We attempted several batches with reduced Quantity.
A. The number of Trays was reduced and there were several permutation and combinations such as Alternate Tray Loading, this was also a study to see the influence of internal Air Flow Dynamics with reduction of Trays in Trolley.
Ideal: 120 Trays: 1920 Kgs Approx. (16 Kgs Average Load of Turmeric Slices in a Tray) 2 MT
Removing One Tray: 16 Trays per Trolley | Removing Two Trays: 10 Trays per Trolley
Ideal Removing Alternative Trays Removing Two Trays
1 2 1 2 1 2
3 4
5 6 5 6
7 8 7 8
9 10 9 10
11 12
13 14 13 14 13 14
15 16
17 18 17 18
19 20 19 20
21 22 21 22
23 24
25 26 25 26 25 26
27 28
29 30 29 30
count : 30 count : 16 count : 10

Several Permutation and Combinations and their results are mentioned below:

Observation: Detail Study of the Air Flow Patterns helped in understanding the lacunas in the existing engineering
• Challenge 6 [Dryer]: The Boiler Steam Flow Connection to the Dryer Blowers was direct, assuming the Boiler would need to be operational simultaneously to the Dryer. This lead to the problem of not being able to regulate the steam inflow at the Dryer and thereby uncontrollable temperature within the cabinet.
Modifications 6: There is a Steam flow rate controller at the Boiler to coordinate and regulate became a tough process. We needed to monitor and control the steam flow rate at the Dryer and hence we added a Temperature Regulating Valve at the inflow of the Dryer.
Observation 6: This enabled the supervisor to monitor the temperature promptly and efficiently thereby controlling the overshooting of temperatures at the Dryer.
Year 2018:
• Challenge 1 [Reactor]: The Turmeric Slices were getting burned on Contact with the Surface of Reactor
• Challenge 2 [Reactor]: The Slices on Exiting the Reactor were in the form of Slurry/Paste
Modifications (1 & 2): The Reactors Agitator Arm was shortened in Length
Observation: The Turmeric Slices now exiting the Reactor are now uniformly cooked and slurry issue resolved
• Challenge 3 [Dryer]: The Turmeric Slices were not Drying Uniformly
Solution 3: We learnt that side material was getting dried sooner than central material. On deep dive we understood the need to displace the material so that the slices surfaces are uniformly heated. We constructed Stainless Steel Rakes with 4-5 Teeth’s and the labour used to remove one trolley at a time, steer and shake all the materials in the trays and load the same in dryer. This procedure with manual intervention helped to reduce the drying time.
Observation: The Drying Efficiency and Product Quality was improved
Challenge 4 [Dryer]: The temperature Probes were not able to notify correct temperature. Earlier there were 2 probes, one at the blower for recording the incoming temperature and second in the cabinet dryer.
Modifications 4: We Increased the Temperature Probes to 3 numbers with Side, Front and Centre Location in order to cover the entire space of the cabinet dryer.
Observation: Correct reporting of the internal equipment environment was achieved

Year 2019:
• Challenge 1 [Dryer]: The time taken to Dry the Material in Dryer was more than a Day, the carry over to second day was not favourable for the operations. Intention is to reduce the drying time with keeping the Temperature at uniform temperature.
• Challenge 2 [Dryer]: The boiler has to be kept operational with continuous heat dissipation until the dryer is operating
Modifications (1&2): I. The solution identified to keep the temperature within the dryer at constant. We identified that the coils were insufficient for heating 2 MT objects and required continuous heating. We proposed to Add another larger sets of coils in front of the existing coils to increase the heating capacity and this also helped to have boiler cut-offs after the ideal 60-90 degrees internal temperature was attained.
Modifications (1&2):II. Steam Trap was added at the exit valve of the Dryer, this helped to lower the inflow of the steam. Moderating the inner temperature efficiently and also the condensate expulsion delivery was better.
Observation: Reduced the input heating time i.e. fuel and time required to heat coils significantly. Helped in increasing the internal temperature of the cabinet dryer hence improving drying.
• Challenge 3 [Dryer]: The Condensate comprising of the Materials Evaporate used to spill at the side of the dryers.
Solution 3: We allowed stagnancy in the dryer for couple of Hours with Temperature cut offs as this enabled the condensate to percolate through the sides of the cabinet dryer. The Shed internal temperatures was regulated with opening the large shutters periodically and stand fans so as to lower the temperature and allow the moisture to exit the closed premises.
Observation: Helped in achieving the difference in the internal and external temperature from dryer therefore aiding in the material drying process.

Year 2020:
• Challenge 1 [Reactor]: Excessive Fresh Raw Material Arrivals and the inefficiency of the Traditional Processing Machinery capacity limitations.
Modifications 1: We have a 2 MT Tank as the Reactor and made direct Steam Inlets
Observation: Traditional we were able to process only 200 Kgs of Turmeric Boiling per Hour; with the modifications we were able to attain 2000 Kgs Boiling in a Batch of 1 Hour. This was a necessity that came due to the COVID restrictions as the plant was forced unoperational for Months of March onwards and we had to process the Arrived Raw Materials.
Observation: This was a contingency move to process the material, accidentally allowed to utilise the Reactor for Traditional type processing.
Year 2023:
• Challenge 1 [Dryer]: DRYER IMPROVEMENT: Make Modifications to the existing Cabinet Batch Dryer in order to attain better quality of end products and optimize the time of drying.
Drying Process: The Product from the Reactor Vessel i.e. Turmeric/Ginger Flakes with 65% Moisture Levels has to be dehydrated with 10 % Moisture Levels (shelf stable products) with Air Based Drying. Cabinet Air Dryer consists 120 Trays in 4 Trolleys. The temperature in the cabinet can be monitored 65 to 100 degrees Celsius, keeping the transfer temperature to products at 65-70 degrees Celsius. There were challenges of air flow and removal of condensate effectively.
Specific dryer has a principle of operation that includes feeding, discharging and airflow patterns (Central Blower) with Vertical Vents. The Central Coils are heated by Steam.
Cabinet Dryer: In a cabinet dryer, the feed (Rhizome Slices) are loaded onto trays and trolleys and inserted into the drying chamber. The door is closed, sealing the system. The trays may have a perforated bottom. The carrier (air) is drawn in through an inlet duct and recycle channel into the heating compartment. The air is heated to the required temperature in this region, and then distributed from side-to-side (cross-flow) in a circular motion. The motive force for the air movement typically is a plug-type fan (central blower) that acts as both an induced / forced draft machine. The fan sucks the air through the heating chamber and blows it across the trays, which act as channels ducts to direct the air.
Modifications 1: Product /Process - analysis of the results.
A. Air Current Experimentation: Subsequently several air flow experiments were also conducted with different cuts made in the panel i.e. horizontal vents to focus the stream flow of air and play with the aero dynamics. This was with the intention of learning close impact of hot air onto the close proximity of the trays. The learning was this lead to the discoloration of the turmeric flakes due to the excessive heat and hence the vents model will not be workable. The cut panels had to be replaced with another layer.
B. Top Side Blower Installation:
Operation Procedure: After maintaining the cabinet air dryer at 80 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes we start the top blower to put the outside air in the drier. After the top blower is started temperature drops and is to be maintained at 65 to 70 degrees Celsius. The Top Blower Assists in removal of the hot air and also circulates the room temperature atmospheric air (lower temp than dryer) into the dryer, there by optimizing the drying. Keeping the Top blower on continuously till the end / cooling period. Slow cooling inside the dryer improves the drying quality.
Observation: In Inference the addition of the Top side Blower helps in reducing the time the steam has to be supplied to the heater, subsequently it also reduces the time for drying and also helps in attaining the better quality end products. We have observed time savings of 20 minutes up to 60 minutes in several batches.
Process Constraints: The Atmospheric humidity in the air will always impact on the drying cycle as high humidity reduces the capacity of the air to remove water from the drying substance.
Example 3:
Challenge 2 [Vacuum Evaporate System]: OIL EXTRACTION at VACCUM EVAPORATE SYSTEM: Separate Oil and Turmeric Water Residue from the Collected Extract of Vacuum Evaporate System with Steam Distillation.
Modifications 2: Methodology / Process Development strategy: In the earlier setup, there exists a Vacuum Evaporate System that collected the Condensate. Since the Preliminary objective of our Novel Technology is Rapid Rhizome Processing into Dried / Powder Products. We did not lay emphasis on the oil recovery from the methodology. Major Constraints in collection of Oil from the Recovered Condensate/Colloids [Mix of Oil (Turmeric / Ginger) + Water)] was storage of the condensate and in addition the separation of the oil from the condensate. In continuous Process the condensate from the Tanks had to be flushed after every batch hence the opportunity to experiment with the oil recovery was unattainable.
Subsequently a chemical grade SS tank is designed [1 MT approx. 33 Cubic Feet] with top side filling of the colloid/condensate; this will be allowed to be stayed for a week. The gravity will allow the water and oil to separate in this tank. Subsequently with each batch more substrate will be added to this large tank. At the end of the week, the oil will be skimmed from the top side and the water will be drained from the bottom.
Subsequently the Skimmed oil will have some amount of water in addition to the oil, this mixture will be passed through a heater, allowing there to be further reduction as the boiling point of Turmeric Oil (109 – 113 °C) is greater than Water (99.97 °C). Lastly there is a small equipment of Gravity Separator that will help in eliminating the last molecules of the water from the condensate mixture.
Modifications 2: Product / Process: We have now setup Additional 3 Equipments into the Process
1. SS Tank
2. Heater
3. Gravity Separator in order to extract the oil from the water and oil condensate mixture.
Observation: We have attained Oil from the Process; the accurate percentage recovery will be analyzed in next commercial season (Year 2024)
Example 4:
Challenge 3 [Assembly Line]: Material Handling Issues
Previously we had a Solution for Material Handling to wait in-between the Reactor and Dryer Transfer, this lead to a stoppage time of 2 Hours and hence to overcome this loss of time new machines were purchased.
Modifications 3: 1. A Conveyor Belt was established for handling the hot rhizome flakes, this cut the human intervention. Conveyor Reactor to Dryer Trays, Labour only opens the Trays and the material is now loaded into trays.
2. Two Stainless Steel Trolleys/Cart were added this helps in transfer of hot rhizomes slices from reactor as well as the hot powder after pulverising.
Observation: The addition of these equipments enhanced the Safety guidelines of this plant as all hot material handling is eliminated which was previously done by manual labour.
, C , C , Claims:We claim:
1. A post harvest processor for Underground Stems, comprising:
a) atleast a Washer comprising a top “C” side open equipment with atleast 7 Roller Blades that has protruding brittle brushes affixed on a plastic cylinder wherein the Rhizomes as whole are put in the open “C” area and the rollers are made to rotate in clockwise directions with help of induction motor, said washer also comprises an overhead water sprinkler for sprinkling water on the open section;
b) atleast a cutter (Dicer) made of Leather Conveyor belt and an aligner that helps uniformly place the rhizomes on the belt wherein an induction motor moves the conveyor belt and the Stainless Steel Knife/ blade such that the Stainless Steel Knife moves up down motion with pulley attached to motor and the belt moves the rhizomes forward along with the knife in rapid action to cut the rhizomes;
characterised in that:
c) a Bio-Reactor Vessel, comprising Shell, Jacket, Insulation, Cladding and Agitator/Scrapper arms wherein the material is stored in the shell while the steam is passed in the Jacket for indirect heating; said reactor is further connected to the Vaccum setup which is further connected to the Condensor comprising Vertical Condensate Tank, Condensate Tank and Evaporate Condensate Tank wherein the cold water is circulated from the water tank in order to collect the condensate properly;
wherein said Bio-Reactor Vessel receives the cut rhizomes for further treatment by the addition of a chelating agent along with the simultaneous treatment of vacuum and steam in its exterior jacket which enables roasting the rhizome by turning clockwise;

d) Vacuum Evaporate chamber;
e) Cabinet Air Dryer/s wherein the Rhizome Slices as feed are loaded onto perforated bottom trays & trolleys and inserted into the drying chamber for drying where the carrier (air) is drawn in through an inlet duct and recycle channel into the heating compartment such that the air is heated to the required temperature in this region, and then distributed from side-to-side (cross-flow) in a circular motion.

2. The processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said underground Stems comprises bulbs, corms, rhizomes, stolons, and tubers.
3. The processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein chelating agent comprises Sodium Alginate that aids the cellular level activity as well as helps in retention of bioactive elements in turmeric.
4. The processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein chelating agent comprises 1 Kilogram of Sodium Alginate dissolved in 20 Litres of Water and applied uniformly over the rhizome cuts in the reactor, where the rhizomes and the solution is then rotated several times in the reactor with the help of the agitator in order to ensure uniform application.
5. The processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein air in the Cabinet Air Dryers is introduced through a plug-type fan or central blower that acts as an induced / forced draft machine; wherein further the fan sucks the air through the heating chamber and blows it across the trays, which act as channels ducts to direct the air.
6. A process for post harvesting underground stems, by the processor as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of:
a) washing the raw material in the washer for removing the dirt and root hair by the bristle brushes, wherein the Rhizomes as whole are put in the open “C” area and the rollers are made to rotate in clockwise directions with help of induction motor, the raw material is also treated with overhead water sprinkling;
b) cutting the washed rhizomes by the cutter to uniform sizes of 10-15 mm to ensure proper cooking by the cutter (Dicer) wherein an induction motor moves the conveyor belt and the Stainless Steel Knife/ blade such that the Stainless Steel Knife causes up and down motion with pulley attached to motor and the belt moves the rhizomes forward along with the knife in rapid action to cut/ chop the rhizomes; said chopped rhizome from the dicer is dropped onto a conveyor belt that moves the material upto the top side input of the reactor vessel;
c) the cut rhizomes are then transported into a Bioreactor & vacuum evaporator system by a conveyor wherein the cut slices are put into the Bioreactor & vacuum evaporator system from the top side with the help of Conveyors followed by the addition of a chelating agent to rhizome slices followed by rotating the material for 10-15 minutes for uniform application;
characterised in that the cooking in the reactor is performed through the steps of:
d) creating the vacuum for approx. 5-10 minutes to have ideal vacuum condition, by sealing the inlet with screw clamps;
e) passing the steam into the Jacket of the bioreactor to maintain the internal temperature at 65 to 100 degrees celsius followed by cooking the rhizome slices in the reactor for 50 minutes with the scrapper being rotated clock and antilock wise every 5 minutes and thereafter the evaporate of Rhizome oil and condensate is collected in the evaporate collection tank followed by switching off the vacuum during the last 10 minutes of the treatment;
f) slowly opening the bottom side of the reactor and unloading the rhizome slices using a conveyor upto the dryer.
7. The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rhizome slices are dried in a Cabinet Dryer for drying approx. 22-24 Hours until 10 % Moisture.
8. The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rhizomes are hot after exiting Reactor and are transferred with the help of belt conveyor onto the trays where approximately 16 Kgs of the slices are placed and then distributed uniformly over the trays manually with the help of stainless steel trays.
9. The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein chelating agent comprises Sodium Alginate that aids the cellular level activity as well as helps in retention of bioactive elements in turmeric; said chelating agent comprises 1 Kilogram of Sodium Alginate dissolved in 20 Litres of Water and applied uniformly over the rhizome cuts in the reactor, where the rhizomes and the solution is then rotated several times in the reactor with the help of the agitator in order to ensure uniform application.