Purpose: Mee (Madhuca longifolia) is an economically important tree growing throughout Sri Lanka. Its importance is mainly attributed to its oil with high nutritional and medicinal values. However, an inefficient extraction method limits its use. This study revealed the possibility of extracting oil from mee seeds by using a screw-type oil expeller. Methods: A popular screw-type oil expeller was used in the experiment. Extract bar clearance and speeds of the main spiral shaft were altered to increase the oil expelling efficiency of the machine. The quality of refined oil at the optimum oil yield was determined by measuring the refractive index, saponification value, iodine value, unsaponifiable matter, free fatty acid, and specific gravity. Results: An optimum yield of 35% oil was obtained when the machine capacity was 30 kg/h and energy consumption was 0.13 kWh/kg. This optimum machine condition was observed at an extract bar clearance of 0.5 mm and a main spiral shaft speed of 90 rpm. The refractive index, saponification value, iodine value, unsaponifiable matter, free fatty acid, and specific gravity of the oil were 1.4, 203, 59, 3.5%, 0.2%, and 0.907 g/cm3 respectively. Color of the mee oil was closer to yellow, which is revealed by the lightness value (L) of 24.93 and positive value (b) of 11.81. Conclusion: The screw-type oil expeller can be used for economically extracting mee oil on a commercial scale.

Purpose: This study evaluates a new banana bulk packaging method under the real transport conditions of Sri Lanka. Methods: A field evaluation of optimized 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets used as the cushioning material was applied. A trial transport was conducted from Thambuttegama to Colombo using a medium-sized open truck, with banana leaves as the control material. Data were recorded at the farmer, transporter, retailer, and consumer stages of the supply chain. Mechanical damage, physiological loss in weight, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, ripeness index, visual quality ratings, and the physical damage index of the bananas were measured at each stage. A cost-benefit analysis was also conducted for both packaging methods. Results: The 8-mm styrofoam sheets significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the mechanical damage from 26.3% to 12.9% compared to the conventional method for long-distance transport, and the physiological loss in weight showed a decrease of 2.88%. The loss of firmness of the fruits followed a simmilar pattern for both methods until reaching the retailer, but at the consumer was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for the control. However, the physical damage index at the retail stage for the control showed symptoms of physical injury, whereas the bananas transported using the cushioning materials exhibited only minor symptoms. Further, the visual quality of the fruits after transport from the farmer to the consumer was preserved, which is one of the main factors affecting consumer preference and retail price. The proposed method increases the profit margin by 51.2% for Embul bananas owing to the reduced postharvest losses. Conclusion: The 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets reduced the physical damage to the bananas, with the quality parameters maintained at the prefered level. Moreover, profits may be increased.

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Paddy farming is a direct source of income for the rural farmers in Sri Lanka. However, the middlemen involved in the rice supply chain reduce the farmer's profit from paddy while increasing the market price of rice for consumers. The Rice Processing Village programme (RPV) was introduced by the Institute of Post Harvest Technology (IPTH) of Sri Lanka in 2005, as a self reliant venture under which farmers parboil and process paddy into rice and other rice-based products. This venture leads to a high income for the farmer and low price for the consumer. One of the main beneficiary groups of the RPV programme was housewives of the farming communities. This paper aims to determine the effect of the RPV programme on empowerment of women with respect to their human, social, and economic capital. A total sample of 150 members including 110 women and 40 men were randomly selected from 30 RPVs in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Data were collected through a field survey using a questionnaire, key informant interviews, observations and secondary data sources. The study revealed that the women members have improved their social contacts with fellow farmers and stakeholder organizations, learnt to use resources efficiently, and developed their knowledge, skills and attitudes to become a productive workforce in the rural economy. The RPV programme has helped them to use their free time in generating an additional monthly income of Rs. 6,463 per family. Therefore, it can be concluded that the RPV programme had empowered the women members in their human, social and economic aspects in these villages.

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