Economic and Operational Viability of a Low-Cost Semi-Automated Egg Cleaning and Sorting System for Small-Scale Rural Salted Egg Producers in Malaysia

Small-scale and rural salted egg producers in Malaysia continue to rely on manual cleaning and sorting methods that are labour-intensive, inconsistent, and prone to product damage, constraining productivity and limiting the ability to scale production to meet growing consumer demand. Fully automated cleaning and sorting machines exist commercially but require high initial investment (RM8,000 to RM15,000) and technical expertise for ongoing maintenance. These are unfavourable for most micro and small food enterprises operating in rural areas. Thus, this study evaluates the economic and operational viability of a low-cost, semi-automated egg cleaning and sorting system, deliberately designed without sensors or microcontrollers to keep fabrication cost low and maintenance requirements manageable for small-scale salted egg producers. The system integrates a rotary-brush and water-mist cleaning module with a counterweight-based sorting module that classifies eggs into three market-relevant grades. Performance was assessed over ten repeated trials of 100 eggs each for cleaning effectiveness and sorting accuracy, alongside throughput, egg-damage, and cost-benefit analysis benchmarked against manual processing and commercially available systems. The system achieved a cleaning effectiveness of 95.7%, a sorting accuracy of 98.0%, and a 56% reduction in processing time for a 100-egg batch (from 75 to 33 minutes). Nonetheless, an egg damage rate of 12%, concentrated at the sorting transfer point, was identified as the principal limitation. At a total fabrication cost of RM1,043, against an estimated RM21 in daily labour-cost savings relative to manual processing for a 300-egg/day operation, the system recovers its cost within approximately 50 working days. In conclusion, appropriately scaled, affordable automation can improve productivity while maintaining acceptable product quality for small-scale salted egg producers.

Rural Livelihoods; Small-Scale Food Processing; Low-Cost Automation; Economic Viability; Salted Egg Production

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