food preservation

Dough Kneader

[allowing rural communities to bake and market their own bread]

[Summary & Motivation] [Community] [Specifications] [Issues] [Contacts]

Summary & Motivation	Project Initiator: ATS Start Date: 2005 Projected Completion Date: Not applicable Current Status: Ideas stage Many of the rural communities in Lesotho currently import bakery products, mainly bread, from the few large cities. The length of time it takes to transport the bread can lead to a spoiled product, so ATS is trying to bring the ovens to the rural communities. A local entrepreneur would buy an oven which can fit fourty-eight loaves of bread, buy supplies from the community, bake bread, and then market it at a small profit to his or her community. To use this bread oven, one must prepare a large amount of dough at one time. Dough preparation involves the mixing the ingredients and kneading, or repeated compression and release of the dough itself. Such a task can be quite tiresome, so ATS is developing a mechanical dough kneader that could be used in conjunction with the bread oven. [top]
Community	There are several small communities in Lesotho which would benefit from the technology, especially in the northern and eastern rural regions. ATS is currently targeting midsize communities. [top]
Specifications	Must be mechanically powered. Must be easier to use than current hand-kneading techniques. Should be simple in design and repair. Robust. [top]
Issues	While the oven has been developed and is being produced, the dough kneader has not been started as of yet. Help is needed in the following areas: Researching types of movements required to get dough to bake correctly. Designing a prototype. Testing prototype. [top]
Contacts	Project Leader: D.S. Phakisi MIT Contact: Not available (If interested, please email mit_ats@MIT.edu) ATS Contact: D.S. Phakisi <phakisids@ats.org.ls> Website (If applicable):   [top]

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