DETAILED PRODUCTION PROCESSES

The primary process is the cultivation of cassava while the secondary process is the processing of the cassava into Food grade cassava starch.

  • PRIMARY PROCESS

    • PRIMARY PROCESS: The planting of cassava up to the point of harvesting will take 10 months to 1 year and the production of cassava up till the point of harvesting is being summarized below:

    S/N ACTIVITIES STAGES(After Planting)
    1 Land Ploughing 3rd Week
    2 Ridging 5th Week
    3 Stem cutting 3rd Week
    4 Planting 6th-7th Week
    5 Labour cost of spraying: Stage 1-3
    6 Premergence Herbicide 6th-7th Week
    7 Glyphosate 6th-7th Week
    8 Diesel 2nd-6th Week
    9 Fertilization 8th Week
    10 Contact Herbicide 1st 15th Week
    11 Hand weeding 15th Week
    12 Contact Herbicide 2nd 8th-9th week
    13 Harvesting 10th-12th month
    14 Loading 10th-12th month
    15 Hauling & Evacuation 10th-12th month
  • SECONDARY PRODUCTION PROCESS:

    • This is the transformation of cassava into Food grade cassava starch and the detailed explanation is stated below;

    • GRINDING (PRE-TREATMENT PROCESS)

      • In coming cassava is first visually inspected prior to processing and the wooden and bad ones are sorted out before putting them on the Horizontal Belt Conveyor One officer is stationed between the Weighing Conveyor (A102) and Feeding Belt Conveyor) to continue picking other material like wood, glass, stones, iron and foreign bodies that can constitute problems and contaminations to processing line before being conveyed into the Drum Washer
      • In the Drum Washer and Paddle Washer the tubers are thoroughly washed with water to remove sand and brown peels.
      • The cassava proceeds into the Root Chopper where the cassava is chopped to smaller pieces and then into the Rasper where it’s been ground to slurry.
      • The slurry from the rasper goes into a clean and sanitized Rasper Pit Here, the slurry is agitated with SO2 water from the SO2 plant system to prevent fungi/bacteria growth, oxidative rancidity, enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning.

    • SCREENING PROCESS

      • The slurry from the Rasper Pit is sent to the Bend Sieves The bend sieves separate the slurry into starch milk and fibre in a serial manner into the Bend Sieve Under Tank. it is fed into the GL Screen
      • The GL screen further removes fibre from the starch milk.
      • The fibre from the GL screen still contains some amount of starch which is recovered by sending it through the Roto-Sieve. Recovered starch is sent to the rasper pit for reprocessing while the fibre is sent away as waste.
      • The starch milk from the GL screen goes into the Storage Tank (C110) from there through the Sand Separator and Strainer that removes sand and iron fillings before going to the Nozzle Separator
      • The Nozzle Separator performs the functions of concentrating and refining by removing impurities like fibre and washes away fats and soluble pigments by centrifugal force. The starch milk from the nozzle separator is stored in the Nozzle Separator Tanks where its pumped into the hydro-cyclones for further processing.
      • The starch milk from the nozzle separator contains impurities like fibre, fats and soluble pigments. These are removed by counter current washing by the Hydro-Cyclone The machine also refines and concentrate starch milk by dewatering. From the hydro- cyclone, the starch milk moves into the thickener.
      • The Thickener is a funnel-like device further refines and concentrates the starch milk and passes it into the Storage Tanks towards the drying section. From here the starch milk is sent into the vacuum filter section

    • DE-WATERING AND DRYING PROCESS

      • The vacuum filter is connected to the Air Separator which removes air from the sucked water inside the vacuum filter. The vacuum filter thus converts the starch milk into starch cake by dewatering. The moisture content of the starch is checked and controlled at 30mins interval to maintain 35%-45% moisture content to prevent blockage in the drying line.
      • The starch cake from the vacuum filter is conveyed into the Double Mixer where the starch cake is mixed to enhance reduction in size. The conveyor and double mixer are regularly scraped to prevent starch cake accumulation which can cause browning and microbial growth.
      • The starch cake from the double mixer enters into the Cage Mill where it is pulverized, thereby reducing the size and weight for easy drying in the Flash Dryer The return starch powder from the flash dryer goes into the Rotary Valve and then returns into the double mixer for recycling.
      • Along the drying line, the moisture is absorbed in from of vapour into the atmosphere by the Drying Fan
      • The rotary valve and the drying collectors collects dry starch from the Flash Dryer to the Cooling Cyclone Collectors
      • Along the drying line, the Cooling Fan sucks cool air from the atmosphere to reduce the starch temperature. The cooling cyclone collectors and cooling cyclone rotary valves cools the starch powder and sends it into the twist sifters
      • The Twist Sifter sifts the starch by separating boiled or solid particles from starch powder into the Storage Tank (SILO) which is well covered and placed in a strategic position to prevent contamination.
      • The Boiler Unit generates the heat used for drying. By conduction and radiation, the air becomes hot and is blown into the cage mill to effect drying of starch.

    • PACKAGING

      • Finished starch stored in the silo are packed directly with the aid of the Packaging Machine which is connected to other devices like the Paddle Dryer, Screw Conveyor Two-Way Damper, Air Compressor, Gill, Potable Belt Conveyor. These machines work automatically to feed starch from the silo into the packing bag. Bags are then neatly sewn with the Sewing Machine.
      • The packaging materials are specially made bags with inner lining made of vinyl materials to protect the product against bacteriological and other contamination; it protects the product against infiltration of moisture, insect infestation and leakage. It does not impart any colour or any other extraneous.
      • Product specification like name of product, name and address of company, manufacturing date, expiry date, batch number, NAFDAC number, net weight, NIS certification mark, country of origin and storage conditions are clearly stated on the packaging bags.

    • STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS

      • Our finished products well bagged with inner lining are stored in the warehouse where there is low humidity to safeguard the hygienic and organoleptic qualities of the product.
      • Dust and other source of contaminants are prevented from coming in contact with the stored goods. They are neatly kept on pallets that are stacked a little distance above the floor.
      • Company trucks or trucks from reputable transport companies are used for delivery of finished products.