PINE NO MORE, M'SIA'S FIRST PINEAPPLE MULTI-PEELER IS HERE!

SERDANG (Malaysia), Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Connoisseurs of the pineapple who
longed for a faster method to peel and core the fruit, need pine no more.

While it is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, Universiti
Putra Malaysia (UPM) (Putra University, Malaysia), has come up with a 'mother of
an invention', in as far as pineapple peeling is concerned.

UPM is a leading research intensive public university located in central
Peninsular Malaysia, close to the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

The 'Pineapple Multi-Peeler' is the country's first such invention.

It is geared towards boosting the local pineapple-based food industry,
thanks
to research conducted by Dr Rosnah Shamsudin from the university's Faculty of
Engineering.

The stainless steel machine will facilitate the process of peeling and
coring the fruit, apart from functioning as a slicer and dicer.

Small and medium enterprises (SME) will benefit from the machine, which can
be operated either manually or automatic, in the making of jams, cookies and
canned pineapples, among others.

"The Pineapple Multi-Peeler can save time and energy and is totally safe,"
Rosnah told a news conference in UPM Serdang here Thursday.


Also present were UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Prof
Dr Abu Bakar Salleh and Faculty of Engineering Deputy Dean Associate Prof
Dr Robiah Yunus.

Rosnah said the machine was made possible with the help of funds from UPM,
amounting to RM30,000 (US$1=RM3.4) and a year of research and development which
began in 2008.

She added that the machine, which was patented on Nov 13, last year,
initially cost RM5,000 per unit but would become cheaper once it was
commercialised.

-- BERNAMA