Evaluation of Handling and Storage Characteristics of an Intermediate Granulated Food Ingredient Using a Fabricated Screw Extruder

Developing a laboratory scale screw extrusion agglomeration equipment was done to assess its effectiveness in granulation of pre-formulated food powders in which bitter gourd "ampalaya" powder as the main ingredient.Two screw speeds (80 rpm and 120 rpm) were used to determine the handling and storage properties of the agglomerated product.The effectiveness of the equipment was based on the handling and product properties namely Carr's Index, Hausner Ratio, Friability and Disintegration Time.The Carr's index of the agglomerates ranged from 0.0333 to 0.07333 while the Hausner ratio ranged from 1.0346 to 1.0792.The lowest friability measured was 0.096 indicative of a stable and strong agglomerate.The maximum mass output efficiency and throughput of the agglomeration equipment was 96.15% and 0.3163 kg/kW.Finally, the partial economic analysis showed that the equipment is economically feasible with an Internal Rate of Return of 50.99% for a period of 1.84 years.