Development of Mixing and Pressing Processes of Split-Gill Mushroom Spawn Blocks

Abstract

This study aims to develop the mixing and pressing processes of split-gill mushroom spawn blocks through the development and construction of a semi-automatic mushroom spawn mixing. The developed machine uses a 0.5 hp motor to drive the mixing tank and the press cylinder, which are connected to a 1:60 reduction gear. The results show that the semi-automatic mushroom spawns mixing and pressing machine developed in this study are within the standard ranges, that the split-gill mushroom spawn blocks with an average weight of 598 g, an average height of 10.2 cm, and an average density of 0.33 g/cm3. As for production capacity, manual pressing produced 40 mushroom spawn blocks per hour while the developed machine produced 112 mushroom spawn blocks per hour, which is 2.8 times faster.