Melon seed as fondly called in most West African countries is widely grown and utilized
in numerous food and industrial purposes. Decorticating of this crop is vital, prior to its vast application.
However, the following problems such as: high seed breakage / damage ratio compared with those
properly shelled, less operational efficiency, sealed or permanently joined shelling chamber which
makes the cleaning of the chamber after use difficult as well as high cost of fabrication in respect to
its usefulness, has made the existing machine less attractive. Hence, this research work looked into
the development of an improved Melon shelling machine that will proffer solution to these lingering
problems associated with the existing ones. The machine was constructed using locally available
materials and it consists of the following machine member parts: hopper, frame, shelling chamber,
drying chamber, blowing chamber and prime mover. A test analysis for performance evaluation was
performed using different moisture content of 10, 13 and 15% and at different shelling speed of 2500
rpm and 1500 rpm. Results obtained shows that with 15% moisture content at a speed of 1500 rpm, the
efficiency of the machine is 90.3%. This machine is cost effective, user friendly, rapid in operation
with lesser seed damage. It can serve both domestic and industrial purposes. The production cost is
80,000 naira (Nigeria currency).
Keywords: Efficiency, Melon, Mellon, Seed Breakage, Shelling Machine
