Processing for value addition of minor fruits

Abstract

Fruits are staple food in human diet; India enjoys a prominent position on the pomological map of the world. Despite the increasing fruit production at the global level, a significant amount of fruit produced is lost or wasted due to poor post-harvest management. The total losses from harvest to the consumer point are as high as 30-40%, which is worth thousands of crores of rupees and about 10-15% of fresh fruits shrivel and stale, lowering their market value and consumer acceptability. Therefore, processing fruits into value-added products is one of the strategies to reduce post-harvest losses and promote consumption of fruits. In this transaction, processing of minor fruit crops into a variety of products with extended shelf life provides opportunity to consumers all over the country to enjoy them throughout the year. Adding value to the original crop also helps the farmer not only to overcome the spoilage and losses, but also fetches high returns due to the newly added technology. It provides convenience & safe food to consumers and promotes diversification and commercialization of agriculture by providing effective linkage between consumers and farmers and moreover, it will make farm produce more exportable.