MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

WESTERN MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
NORMAL ROAD, BRGY. BALIWASAN
ZAMBOANGA CITY

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MOTORIZED COCONUT MEAT

SEPARATOR MACHINE FOR EFFICIENT COPRA PROCESSING

A
PROJECT STUDY PROPOSAL
TO
THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
WESTERN MINDANAO STATE UNIIVERSITY
ZAMBOANGA CITY

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS IN

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROJECT STUDY

PROPONENTS

JUNE 2024
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Coconut palm [Cocos nucifera L.] is an important and one of the most useful

tropical trees. This tree feed millions of individuals, particularly in tropical and

subtropical area. It also produced industrially for the edible and highly saturated oil

found in the flesh of its fruits. It is sometimes referred to as the “tree of life” due to the

variety of products and by-products made from the tree, namely: coconut meat, oil,

juice, husk, shell, shell charcoal, leaves, pith, inflorescence, trunk, and roots. Coconut is

a food source, a mineral and bodily fluid supplement, and an anthelminthic, among its

many other essential functions (Roche, Sumonglay, & Tacan, 2016).

One significant area of Philippine agriculture is the coconut industry. An

estimated 2.5 million farmers are employed by the coconut sector, which spans 69 of

the 82 provinces in the nation and has a total production area of 3.62 million hectares.

Additionally, the Philippines has more than 347 million fruit-bearing trees, with 14.7

million metric tons of nuts produced there in 2018. In terms of copra, domestic coconut

consumption was 0.835 million metric tons in 2015. (Philippine Coconut Authority,

2018). According to FAOStat (2018), the Philippines continues to be the second-largest

coconut producer in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), accounting

for about 40% of ASEAN's total coconut production. Northern Mindanao, Davao,

Zamboanga Peninsula, and CALABARZON are some of the Philippines' top coconut-

producing areas (Coconut – Industry Strategic Science and Technology Plans (ISPs)

Platform, n.d.).

The main objective is to develop a machine that is capable of separating coconut

meat with the optimization of motor. This study aims to help the farmers lessen their
 work of copra extracting process. According to Hubpages (2017), the traditional way of

separating the coconut meat to its husk is by a hand-made, semi-pointed steel is used to

separate coconut meat from its husk. The steel is firmly placed in the ground, and the

husk is removed by piercing one side and pushing out. Considering its process, human

labor is intensive and also time consuming.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The coconut industry is one of the most significant economic sectors in the Philippines.

This significance is shown in farm income, the amount of land planted to coconuts, the

number of workers employed, and foreign exchange profits. With the non-farm sector

accounting for barely thirty percent of the value, the industry is predominately agricultural

(THE PHILIPPINE COCONUT INDUSTRY - ProQuest, n.d.)

There are numerous issues affecting the coconut industry. One of the common issues that

the farmers have face is lack of access to modern farming techniques which led to extensive

labor. Given its hectare and the number of trees, it will be time consuming to separate the

coconut meat from its husk. To aid the laborers in the coconut industry, the sole purpose of

this research paper is to be able fabricate a coconut meat separator machine.

One of the common problems that the farmers have encountered is lack of access to

modern farming methods which led to extensive labor. It will take a lot of time to extract the

coconut meat from its husk considering its hectare and the quantity of trees. The purpose of

this study is to be fabricate a coconut meat separator machine in order to help the workers in

the coconut industry.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The purpose of this study is to develop a motorized coconut meat separator machine. The

researchers aim to answer the following questions:

 1.2.1. Does the fabricated machine aid to reduce the farmer’s work?

1.2.2. The quantity of coconut meat that the machine produce as opposed to hand

separation.

1.2.3. how long it takes to do the task using the suggested prototype.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The following objectives were set by the researchers for the study:

1.3.1 To fabricate a machine capable of separating and flaking coconut meat from its husk in

order to reduce intensive workload of farmers.

1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

This study essentially focuses of designing the prototype and gathering the

information required to assess its efficacy. The researchers also aim to the result of the study

as precise and dependable as possible however, recognize that there are certain constraints

that might affect the accuracy of the data acquired. The proponents limit the study of Coconut

palm [Cocos nucifera L.] specifically, matured dwarf coconut for its higher oil content.

Moreover, it will only focus on removing coconut meat from its husk using the proposed

prototype. The prototype will be tested in dry conditions to ensure that the proponents can

acquire reliable rest results. The data will be ascertained by means of experimentation where

it will be conducted in the vicinity of Western Mindanao State University, and in areas with

coconut plantation.

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Anthelmintic- a medication used to cure illnesses in animals caused by parasitic

worms (Holden-Dye & Walker, 2018).

 Cocos nucifera (L.) (Arecaceae) -is the most widely distributed fruit plant on Earth

by nature, and it is sometimes referred to as the "coconut tree" (Lima et al., 2015).

Copra - dried portions of coconut flesh and the kernel from the coconut palm fruit

(Copra | Definition, Coconut, Uses, & Facts, 2024).

Extract - to withdraw (something, such as a juice or a constituent element) by

physical or chemical process (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)