The food industry in Thailand is growing because of demand both in the country and abroad. However the food processing industry needs tamarind juice as an important ingredient. At present factory operators use intensive labour to separate the juice from the meat. With this kind of method tamarind juice production is not enough to meet the present demand.

      The Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) with support from the German Technical Cooporation (GTZ) worked on the project to develop the process for the food industry in Thailand , to enable the industry to compete abroad. J M Industry Co. Ltd., a major food producer exporting to Europe , United States and the Middle East , has also joined in this project. A machine has been designed and developed to separate the meat and seeds from the tamarind juice. This is a new innovation that responds to the needs of the food producers in Thailand .

      This machine can produce 500 litres of tamarind juice per hour. The components of the machine are available in Thailand . It uses a 3 horse power motor and runs on 380 volt electricity.

How the machine works.

      The machine separates the meat and seed from the juice by using variable filters that decrease the size of particles getting through. The ground tamarind is mixed with hot water then passes through several grades of filter. The machine gradually separates out the bigger pieces then the smaller pieces. The tamarind is passed through the filters twice to make sure that all of the particles are separated from the juice.

       Under testing the machine separated 100 litres of tamarind juice in 15 minutes. The juice is totally clean from particles of tamarind and ready to be utilized in food production.

       Machine maintenance is not complicated. After usage the machine is cleaned with clean water. The only important point to note is that the machine should not be turned on when there is no tamarind juice passing through. This will deteriorate the wiping fan that sweeps out the tamarind particles.

       This machine was developed to help increase the tamarind juice supply as well as decrease the labour involved. It will also produce high quality tamarind juice that will keep its quality after the filter process. It is a valuable piece of work completed by Thai researchers. This machine will serve and assist the processed food industry in Thailand which is one of the most important export industries.