This research focuses on the design, construction, and assessment of a garlic trimming machine aimed at ‎reducing manual labor and enhancing processing efficiency for small and medium-scale garlic ‎producers. The primary objective was to develop a machine capable of effectively cutting the roots and ‎stems of garlic bulbs while minimizing physical damage and operational costs. Key shearing and ‎frictional characteristics of garlic stems were determined and integrated into the machine's design.‎
The evaluation was conducted under varying operational conditions, specifically at three different knife ‎speeds (8.5, 12.1, and 20.5 m•s-1) with three different moisture content levels (‎47.4, 61.5 and 70.3% ‎wet basis). Performance metrics assessed included machine productivity, damage of garlic bulb, energy ‎consumption, and operating‎ cost. Results indicated that operating the trimming machine at 20.5 m•s-1 ‎knife speeds with 61.5% moisture content maximized processing productivity while minimizing bulb ‎damage. The machine demonstrated a processing productivity increase of approximately 1.5 times ‎compared to manual methods and achieved a cost reduction of about 29.2%.‎